Hyderabad: The friendship between Russia and India is no secret. Moscow has always been an important part of India’s foreign policy. Russian President Vladimir Putin is arriving in India tomorrow, December 4th, for a day-long visit.
Major achievements in India-Russia relations: First, let’s explore the foundations of the two countries’ friendship. India and the USSR established formal diplomatic relations in April 1947, four months before India’s independence. Initial diplomatic relations were minimal, perhaps understandably so.
This was because Russian Prime Minister Joseph Stalin considered the capitalists of colonial and dependent countries to be “compromising” and “revolutionary” forces. He also believed that these forces were “conspiring” with imperialism behind the backs of their own people.
1950s-1970s: Laying the Foundation
1953: The first India-Soviet Trade Agreement was signed, marking the beginning of economic cooperation.
1955: First Prime Ministerial Visit: The year 1955 was a significant one for India-USSR relations. Then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Moscow in June 1955, and Russian Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev reciprocated in November 1955. These two visits set the tone for relations for the next three decades.
1960s: The deteriorating relations between the two countries with China in the 1960s brought them closer. The Soviet Union emerged as an important partner for India. The Soviet Union frequently used its veto in the UN Security Council in support of India. Between 1957 and 1971, it used its veto half a dozen times. This was typically related to the Kashmir issue and, once, India’s military intervention to end Portuguese rule in Goa. India abstained from voting against the USSR during the Hungarian crisis in 1956 and the Czechoslovak crisis in 1968. During the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, the USSR played a mediating role and hosted the so-called Tashkent Summit in 1966, where a peace treaty was signed. It was also common for the Indian Prime Minister to stop in Moscow on his way back from Washington.
1962: The Soviet Union provided military support to India during the Sino-Indian War, strengthening defense ties.
1971: A turning point in relations between India and the Soviet Union was the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship on August 9, 1971. The Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was the result of a deepening partnership. It included a significant security provision that both sides would refrain from providing any assistance to any third party engaged in armed conflict with the other. If either party is threatened by this, the High Contracting Parties will immediately engage in dialogue with each other to eliminate such threat and take appropriate and effective measures to ensure peace and security in their respective countries.
1980s – Cold War and Stronger Relations
1980: India signed an agreement with the Soviet Union for the transfer of defense technology, including advanced fighter jets.
1984: The Soviet Union helped India develop its space capabilities, leading to the launch of the Indian space program with Soviet assistance.
1985: The Soviet Union assisted India in building a nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
1987: A formal agreement on military cooperation was signed, focusing on cooperation in defense technology, joint exercises, and weapon systems.
1990s: The Nineties It was a turbulent time for both countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, India and Russia signed a new Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in January 1993 and a bilateral Military-Technical Cooperation Agreement in 1994.
1991: The Soviet Union collapsed, and Russia inherited the USSR’s foreign relations. India quickly adjusted to the new Russian Federation and reaffirmed its strong relationship with Russia.
1993: A new phase of India-Russia relations began with the signing of the “Declaration on Strategic Partnership” in 1993. This agreement emphasized strengthening political, economic, and defense ties.
1994: Russia and India signed a “Framework for Bilateral Cooperation” in defense and technology, furthering earlier military ties.
2000s: The decade was marked by Vladimir Putin’s election as President in 2000 and India’s adoption of a policy of multi-alignment (during the Vajpayee NDA years). India-Russia relations grew. During this period, New Delhi signed strategic partnership agreements not only with Russia, but also with the US and the EU. President Putin stated that India is a key priority partner for Russia and emphasized that whatever Moscow’s relations with other countries, including those in Asia, “they will never be a substitute for or a substitute for relations with India.”
In 2000, during President Putin’s visit to India, this partnership acquired a new qualitative form: a strategic partnership. The strategic partnership institutionalized annual meetings between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Russia, and these meetings have been held regularly since then.
