India, Russia look to reset bilateral ties

NEW DELHI: With Russia being the current focus of global politics, New Delhi and Moscow are set to discuss bilateral relations which are poised to take on a whole new look when PM Narendra Modi meets Russian deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin on the sidelines of `Vibrant Gujarat' on Monday.

Rogozin will lead a big Russian delegation to the business summit, trying to infuse energy into a relationship that has been slow. A Russian trade official told their official news agency , Tass, “The forum and exhibition will feature representatives of over 20 countries, including more than 10 Russian companies and organisations --the Emergencies Ministry , Sibur, Novatek, Rosneft, Roskosmos, Rosatom, Rostech, Schwabe, and others, as well as representatives of the Russian regions.“ Rogozin will bring along officials from Tartarstan and Astrakhan for the meet.

But the conversation between Modi and Rogozin acquires importance in the present global context as this will be the first high-level meet between India and Russia after Putin's visit in October. Indo-Russian ties have been around for a long time and built on solid foundations, but they could go either way .

With Donald Trump signalling a reset in US-Russia relations, India looks at this as a positive development. Nobody in India actually expects US-Russia to overcome their decades-old animosity , but if Trump and Putin can introduce a measure of normalcy in their bilateral relations, it could help Russia balance its over-dependence on China.Russia is now heavily invested in the Middle East crisis, and India has found itself more sympathetic to the Russian point of view.

On the other hand, if Russia enhances its relations with Pakistan, particularly in the defence sector, India would take a very different set of measures, which could even include reducing its buy of Russian weapon ry. Indian officials say they understand Russia is looking for new markets for its weapons but selling to Pakistan sho uld not be among them.

In the past few months, Russia, which, despite poor economic ties or popular exchanges has been a favourite of Indian governments, has faced criticism from Indians.

When questioned, Russian officials have assured their Indian counterparts that Moscow would not do anything to affect Delhi's security interests. But there seems to be a section of Russian officialdom which is willing to risk Indian displeasure to work on closer ties with China and Pakistan. Russia's purported engagement of the Taliban in Afghanistan will be particularly problematic for India, and this is expected to form a big part of the conversation between Modi and Rogozin.