Q- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Eastern Economic Forum in September in Vladivostok. What is the agenda of his talks with President Putin? Are new contracts and memorandums between the parties expected?
A- Prime Minister Modi was invited by President Putin to the Eastern Economic Forum as chief guest. Annual Indo-Russian Summit is also planned to be held in Vladivostok. We expect the leaders to touch upon all issues of bilateral cooperation during the negotiations. Since the meeting will be held by the heads of state in Vladivostok, the main topic of negotiations will be cooperation between the two countries in the Far East. We are awaiting the conclusion of a number of agreements on this issue, which will open up a new dimension of Indian-Russian cooperation. The Far East is important to India in terms of prospects for new trade investment. This aspect was discussed during a recent visit by the Commerce and Industry Minister of India, Mr. Piyush Goyal to Vladivostok, who led a delegation of 140 Indian companies and four heads of Indian states. He was received by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Mr. Yuri Trutnev.
Also from the Russian side there were about 200 companies. The negotiations were extremely productive, and we look forward to deepening cooperation in areas such as timber procurement, diamond and metal mining, tourism, agriculture economy, development of port infrastructure. In addition, we look forward to expansion of educational exchanges between India and Russia, including with Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. Five memorandums were signed for cooperation between the Indian states and Russian regions. For bilateral relations between India and Russia, this is a unique step.
In total more than 20 memoranda and agreements are planned to be signed during the summit in Vladivostok. So we expect that the meeting of the leaders of the two countries in Vladivostok will be extremely productive.
Q- What areas of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia, in your opinion, are the most promising? How do you assess the possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of investment?
A- Traditionally, priority in the development of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia was devoted to defense, energy, including nuclear, and space. They will continue to play an important role in Indian-Russian relations. But as I already said, new dimensions will be added, in particular inter-regional cooperation. We are interested in creating new investments in India and in Russia and would like that Russian companies invest in India and use the capabilities of one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world.
We would also like to cooperate with Russia on issues of modernization of our system of inland waterway, open prospects of joint construction of civil aircraft. Besides, we are interested in cyber- security cooperation, intelligence sharing and implementation of start ups. India is intending to send a large delegation to participate in the World Skills Conference in Kazan. India’s Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey is leading the delegation for this event. It is important to remember that our leaders have set a goal to bring volume of bilateral trade up to $ 30 billion by 2025 and we intend to implement this.
Q- When can India and Russia begin joint exploration of deposits in the Arctic? What are the prospects for cooperation on gas production?
A- India is very interested in interacting with Russia in the Arctic. This region provides many opportunities for collaboration, especially since India and Russia are cooperating within the framework of the Arctic Council. We know that President Putin invited Indian investors to participate in oil, gas and energy projects in the Arctic. We are actively following developments and expect the Minister of Oil and Natural Gas, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan to visit Moscow by end of August for negotiations on expansion of energy cooperation, including long-term gas supplies to India. It, definitely is, one aspect of cooperation that is of mutual interest for India and Russia.
Q- What are the prospects for military-technical cooperation? When is the delivery of Russian S-400 system expected ?
A- Military-technical cooperation over the past twenty years has been a traditional area of our cooperation. We are glad that Russia continues to be one of the main arms suppliers to India. Russia will also become our partner in joint development and production of weapons, as part of the “Make in India” program. So we would like to conclude an agreement that will facilitate production of spare parts of weapons in India, in accordance with a bilateral agreement. This will contribute to the development of our defense cooperation. We are also interested in military exchanges. India had significant representation at the Army-2019 forum, which took place this summer in Russia. We will participate in upcoming Russia-India tri-services exercise ‘Indra-2019’, which will take place before the end of the year.
Besides, India has sent its Naval Ship to participate in the naval exercises, which took place in July this year in St. Petersburg. Regarding S-400 supply agreement, it is implemented in accordance with the provisions of the contract, which was concluded in October 2018.
Q- India is one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists. Can Russia become such a destination for tourists from India?
A- The number of Russian tourists visiting India is constantly growing, as is the number of Indians visiting Russia. The trips include visits to cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Yekaterinburg and even such distant places as Vladivostok. The growth of tourist flow began after a successful advertising campaign for FIFA World Cup 2018, representing Russia as a friendly tourist destination. We are interested in the development of tourism with electronic visas and would like to have such a visa regime with Russia so that Indian tourists visiting the country could apply for an online visa. Now it applies only to Vladivostok, but we would like a similar system to be applied throughout Russia.
Q- Recently, there has been an escalation in relations between India and Pakistan due to Delhi’s decision to strip Kashmir of special status and Islamabad’s reaction to this decision. The Pakistani side favors the mediation of the United States or Russia in the settlement. How do you rate this initiative? Do you see an opportunity for direct dialogue?
A- Parliament of India recently passed a law that changes the internal administrative structure of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, turning them into two Union Territories. This is an exclusively internal affair of India. The status of states was determined by Article 370 of the Constitution of India, and it was a temporary measure. Indian Parliament decided that it was necessary to bring Kashmir and its population into the national mainstream so that they can take advantage of economic benefits this measure can provide to the people of Kashmir. This is a question that, in no way, affects the Line of Control or foreign policy relations. This is an internal affair of the country.
Unfortunately, a series of provocative statements aimed at exacerbating relations followed from Pakistan. India is not interested in escalating relations with Pakistan. Status issue of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved within the framework of Indian sovereignty and is exclusively an internal affair of the country. Pakistan has no standing on this. This issue is governed by Article 370 of the Constitution of India, and is not the result of some kind of bilateral agreement with a foreign country.
Answering your question about possible mediation, our position has always been clear. We don’t see any possibility for a third-party mediation and are glad that Russia shares our position. The Russian Foreign Ministry made public statements about supporting the settlement of issues between India and Pakistan bilaterally by political and diplomatic means on the basis of Simla Agreement and Lahore declaration. This position fully coincides with the Indian position. Russia completely supports India in this matter. Russia’s position has been consistent.
