Q1. Mr. Ambassador, we are talking on the eve of August 15, the Independence Day of India. How important is this holiday for Indian people today? What impact has it had on India?
Ans: Let me first thank our esteemed Russian friends for their abundant good wishes and extend my warmest congratulations to every member of the Indian community in Russia on the Independence Day of India. For every Indian, the 15th of August is not merely a day to celebrate but also a day to pay homage to those who so selflessly and courageously fought for India's freedom. It is an occasion to remember once again, with deep appreciation, the brave guardians of India's frontiers and our compatriots who have over the years sacrificed their lives for the safety and security of our nation. As Indians, it is also a time to re-dedicate ourselves to building a modern, vibrant India, and to serving our people and the larger cause of humanity.
Since its independence in 1947, India has secured a respected place in the community of nations as a country committed to justice, equality, and the rule of law. Indians are proud citizens of the largest, most diverse, and vibrant democracy in the world. It is a democracy buttressed by a free media, an independent judiciary, an active civil society, and inbuilt mechanisms for course correction and redressal. It is deeply satisfying to see a country of 1.2 billion people, characterized by vast linguistic, religious, ethnic and cultural diversity, so confidently moving ahead as one. With growth rates having further picked up in recent years, India is emerging as one of the leading world economies. There is a fresh dynamism amongst our people, an upbeat feeling about our capabilities, and a collective optimism in our future.
Q2. What are your plans for development and strengthening of cooperation between our two countries, taking into account that Russia-India ties are characterized as strategic partnership?
Ans: Our partnership is time-tested, deep-rooted and exemplary in many ways. It extends beyond close and regular political interaction at the Summit and other levels, to long-term cooperation in such key areas as space, defence, nuclear energy, and science & technology. We will continue to promote cooperation in these sectors as a matter of high importance. We will exert effort to see that trade and investment in priority sectors, such as oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and information technology, reflect the size of our economies and our complementarities in those sectors. Cooperation would also be enhanced in such fields as biotechnology, nanotechnology, medical sciences, agro-chemicals, and meteorology, for example. We will support initiatives that enhance people-to-people exchanges, such as between our entrepreneurs, journalists, youth, academics, parliamentarians, artistes and others. We will also encourage greater exposure to each other's latest achievements, so as to see that we are not bound by out-dated mindsets and stereotypes.
Q3. How is India-Russia cooperation in tourism being developed? Is there any statistic information on the number of Russian tourists visiting India and how is their security assured?
Ans: Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in India. It generates earnings and employment, while facilitating friendship, mutual understanding, and goodwill. It enhances people-to-people contacts, strengthening the roots of our strategic partnership and nurturing it for the future.
India is a complete tourist destination and tourism from Russia to India has great potential. To enhance tourist and business flows from Russia to India, we have recently instituted changes that reflect a more liberal tourist and business visa regime for Russian citizens. Tourist visas are now being delivered in three working days, with six months validity and triple or multiple entries. We are now taking three working days for routinely granting a one year multiple entry business visa.
Moreover, the Russian Cabinet approved on August 2, 2011, the Inter-Governmental Agreement on simplification of requirements for mutual travels of certain categories of citizens, signed in New Delhi last December, and forwarded it to the State Duma for ratification. Its entry into force will further ease travel by businessmen, scientists, cultural workers, students and tourists from both countries. Indians now holiday abroad in large numbers and such changes would boost the number of Indians visiting friendly Russia.
There were 17.9 million foreign tourist visits to India during 2010, compared to 14.4 million in 2009, reflecting a 24.2% growth. In 2010, we issued about 110,000 visas to Russian citizens, the overwhelming majority to tourists. I expect this number to rise by at least 25% in 2011.
Several additional steps have recently been taken to ensure the safety and security of tourists in India. These include security reviews, heightened safety measures at airports, hotels, markets and other venues where tourists congregate, and establishment of a separate full-fledged tourist police force in our states. The tourist police will address the needs of tourists, manage enquires and complaints, and ensure that the language barrier doesn't hamper enjoyment or security. They would also guide tourists on local law and order matters and help them as regards medical aid, immigration and visa concerns, residential permits, and currency exchange.
Q4. How is India-Russia cooperation in the sphere of peaceful use of atomic energy being developed?
Ans: India-Russia cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy is of long standing and one of the highly developed areas of our bilateral cooperation. Two nuclear power plants at Kudankulam, constructed in cooperation with Russia, are nearing completion. Negotiations for the constructions of two more units at the same site are also underway. During the March 2010 visit to India by H.E. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin we concluded an Inter Governmental Agreement for broad based cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and also finalized a Road Map to guide our future cooperation activities.
Our impressive cooperation in the nuclear energy field represents an important component of the long term energy security partnership we envisage with Russia, based on the twin pillars of our existing cooperation in nuclear energy and expanded cooperation in the hydrocarbon energy field.
Q5. How does India regard vistas for development of cooperation within BRICS, taking into consideration that South Africa has joined it?
Ans: At the Summit held in Sanya, China, in April this year we welcomed South Africa joining BRICS. The grouping now brings together five major emerging economies and is a useful forum for consultation and developing a coherent approach on issues of common interest.
South Africa is an important member of the G-20 and its entry has enhanced the global character of BRICS. South Africa's entry will enrich discussions in BRICS by bringing to it the perspective of the African continent. South Africa's membership of BRICS has also given a further boost to the groupings influence and prestige. With South Africa joining, the five BRICS countries collectively account for 30% of the world's land area, 42% of its population, and are rapidly emerging as the main drivers of global economic growth.
Q6. Today many world countries, including India and Russia, are worried by the problem of terrorism. Our countries are seriously concerned by the situation in Afghanistan. What is your view on the interaction between Russia and India in the fight against terrorism, including interaction within regional organizations for example, the SCO?
Ans: India has always unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and been in the forefront of the fight against it. We are convinced that no cause, no argument, no belief, can ever justify terrorism. A victim of terrorism for well over two decades, India is committed to eradicating this threat and has an overriding interest in enhanced cooperation in countering terrorism. The success of the international campaign against terrorism revolves around the ability to root out terrorist networks and infrastructure, wherever they exist, and in denying access to weapons, funds, and safe havens to terrorists, their ideologues and financiers, and those who aid, abet and sponsor them. This has to be done on a long-term, consistent and sustained basis.
India and Russia cooperate closely in the field of counter terrorism at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. Our diplomats have also been working together at the UN for several years for the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Its early adoption would invigorate the multilateral and collective dimensions of counter-terrorism efforts and enhance the global response to terrorism. We are ready to expand cooperation in this area, including with all relevant regional organisations. Last September, the Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO had visited India and had extensive discussions with our security establishment.
Q7. Russia and India cooperate in military and technical sphere. However, the Indian side has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with Russia's delays of due dates of deliveries specified by contracts for supply of armaments. Have these misunderstandings been settled? What are further vistas for development of military and technical cooperation between our countries and are there any concrete plans?
Ans: India-Russia military-technical cooperation is progressing well and is one of the important pillars of our special and privileged strategic partnership. Projects underway relate to aircraft, helicopters, infantry combat vehicles, jet engines, warships, missiles, rockets, tanks, ammunition, and other specialized equipment. We have also recently put in place new mechanisms such as long-term contracts for supply of spares, with in-built price escalation clauses.
Delays in the delivery of equipment, including spares, are to be seen in the context of this rather extensive and varied bilateral military-technical cooperation. Such delays are of significance to our security calculus and are duly raised by us at appropriate institutional levels in Russia. Concerns over delivery dates are shared, discussed, and solutions found. This aspect is being jointly, thoroughly, and continuously monitored. We appreciate the special care being devoted to this important issue by the Russian leadership.
Our military-technical cooperation is being regularly addressed via a large number of dedicated Working Groups, with residual concerns being reviewed by senior official level mechanisms, such as the High Level Monitoring Committee that met in Moscow in June this year. High level service-to-service interaction also provides inputs. All this feeds into the Inter-Governmental Commission co-chaired by our two Defence Ministers, which meets annually to take an overview of our defence ties.
Meanwhile, our bilateral military-technical relationship has transformed over the years from a simple buyer-seller relationship into one involving joint research, development and production of sophisticated defense systems. The Brahmos cruise missile is a fine example of this growing trend. Besides Brahmos, the manufacture of T-90 tanks and SU-30MKI fighter aircraft are also being undertaken in India. We are also cooperating in the joint development of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and a Multi-role Transport Aircraft. These joint design and development projects for new weapon systems and platforms are also evidence of a dynamic defence relationship. Russia remains India's largest partner in military-technical cooperation and vice versa, and there are good prospects for further cooperation in a long-term perspective.
Moscow
August 9, 2011
