Question

‘Although India has maintained good relations with all the post-communist countries, yet the strongest relations are still between India and Russia’. Explain the reasons with suitable arguments.

Answer 1

1. Indo-Russian relations are an important segment of India’s foreign policy. The relations between these two countries are embedded in a history of trust and common interests. 
2. Both countries share a vision of a multipolar world. 
3. From this relationship, India gets benefits on issues like Kashmir, energy supplies, sharing information on international terrorism, access to Central Asia and balancing its relations with China.
4. On the other hand, Russia stands to benefit from this relationship because India is the second largest arms market for Russia. The Indian military gets most of its hardware from Russia. 
5. Russia is vital for India, as it has repeatedly come to the assistance of India during its oil crisis. India is trying to increase its energy imports from Russia and the republics of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. 
6. Russia supports India’s nuclear energy plants and assisted India’s space industry. For example, Russia has provided the cryogenic rocket when India needed it.