Former Indian ambassador to Russia: Modi expects Putin to attend SCO and G20 summit

On the eve of the national holiday of India, the Republic Day, which is annually celebrated on 26 January, a video conferencing between Moscow and Delhi was held.

During the event, the participants discussed the current state of the Russian-Indian relations, the developments in the interaction between the two countries over the past period, the areas of greatest interest for bilateral partnership, interaction in the field of science and technology, education and medicine, space exploration and energy, culture and art, as well as the Russian-Indian partnership in BRICS.

Former Indian Ambassador to Russia, Shri D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, delivered a speech via video link. He said that over 30 years, the relationship between the two countries has evolved in all spheres.

"India-Russia relations are built on a particularly privileged strategic partnership. The basis of this interaction is the harmony of interests, a large number of friendly ties at the interpersonal level," he stressed.

Shri D. Bala Venkatesh Varma also highlighted the potential of the two countries in IT cooperation and said that for further development of the Russian-Indian partnership, the two countries need to continue to coordinate their actions in the international arena.

"India will be chairing the G20 this year. Prime Minister Modi looks forward to welcoming President Putin both for the SCO summit and also for the G20 summit," the former Indian ambassador to Russia added.

Professor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Chief Researcher of IMEMO at the E.M. Primakov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Andrey Volodin, said that India had advanced far enough in commercialising its information technology. "We are now beginning to develop our Russian market. And Russia now focuses on the development of internal productive forces: mechanical engineering, aircraft construction, shipbuilding, where the component of information technology is very large," he said.

"Within the BRICS there is a clear understanding that it is necessary to use more national currencies in mutual settlements. <... > Russia is India’s largest oil supplier. Why not convert these calculations into national currencies?"

Gulshan Sachdeva Professor at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies at the Jean Monnet, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Gulshan Sachdeva said that Russia accounts for a significant share of India's exports. "There is now a great opportunity for more Indian companies. And many medium and small enterprises in India are entering the Russian market as exporters," he stressed.

On 28 January India and Russia mark the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of India.

Photo: istockphoto.com