9th Oct 2018 10:10:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

Amidst growing tensions in international relations with US President Donald Trump often dictating terms to developing countries due to his single track mind, India and Russia held their 19th annual summit last week which testifies to the highest level attention that both countries give to their bilateral relationship. That too when Trump was threatening India not to make any deal with Russia on the S-400 missile issue. For Russia, the relationship with India is not the most important and for India, ties with Russia are not uppermost in foreign policy priorities in the changed atmosphere. Yet, the annual summits have been held without break, which is exceptional. 
This suggests that for Russia, the bilateral relationship is worth nurturing because, apart from direct bilateral benefits, it gives Russian foreign policy a strong Asian dimension. The esteem that the Indian leadership shows for President Vladimir Putin contrasts with his demonisation by the West. Continuity, mutual trust and confidence are the major pillars of India-Russia relations or the basis of solid background of Indo-Soviet ties. The bilateral relationship has developed into a strong “strategic partnership” in recent years
One important point of the old Indo-Soviet friendship was a special bilateral trade and economic relationship. Although this arrangement had the usual weaknesses of corruption, patronage, transactions in low quality products, it helped many small and medium size private companies to become exporters. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, this relationship has been badly damaged. Economic transformation in Russia from a centrally planned economy to a market economy in 1992 – coined as the policy of economic liberalization in India. These developments changed the nature and character of foreign economic relations in both the countries. Therefore, despite having solid economic and trade relations in the past, a large part of the 1990s was a period of difficult adjustments for both Indian as well as Russian business. In almost all India’s travesties Russia has remained a trusted friend unlike the US. The 24 hour stop-over or the brief visit of Putin has once again reaffirmed the fact that India and Russia are time tested friends.


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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