PM Modi’s just concluded two-day visit to Russia has not only bridged the annual summitry hiatus, but also reinforced the special and privileged strategic partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on an official visit to Moscow from July 8-9 which happened to be his first bilateral one in the Modi 3.0 era.
 
This was also in the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and after a gap of nearly five years. His last visit was to Vladivostok in 2019 for the Far Eastern Economic Forum where he was invited as the Chief Guest given Russian focus for attracting greater strategic and economic engagement by India in the region. Several announcements and commitments were made.
 
Less than a month back, PM Modi had also visited Italy for the G7 outreach Summit where the Eurasian war and its consequences especially for the global south was at the center and so was the recognition of India’s ability to speak plainly and with mutual confidence to the Russian friends on any issue after PM Modi’s famous statement in Samarkand to President Putin that this was not an ‘era of war’ urging it to end.
 
PM Modi also met Ukrainian President Zelenskyy whom he assured that India will do whatever it can do to find some just way out. Moreover, India’s successful G20 Presidency had also given PM Modi a certain global heft with regard to problem solving through diplomacy.
 
Hence, the visit had strategic and economic expectations across the spectrum since nothing was ‘off the table’ as mentioned by Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin Spokesperson. All eyes were on the visit which coincided with the NATO’s 75th anniversary Summit in Washington.

Call for ending war with Ukraine  
 
PM Modi in his one-on-one and bilateral and other interactions with President Putin, over the two days, very clearly conveyed that he was for peace, dialogue and diplomacy and that guns and bombs cannot achieve the peace nor could it be achieved on the battlefield.
 
He expressed his anguish and condemned the death of so many children as the news came in of a missile attack on children’s hospital in Ukraine killing 38 innocent children. He urged for early dialogue and peace which was acknowledged constructively by President Putin.
 
PM Modi said after his discussions with his friend he was hopeful for peace. This was also conveyed to the Austrian Chancellor, whom he visited after Moscow. India has the capacity and credentials to be a trusted interlocutor for the cause of peace.
 
The bear hug between PM Modi and President Putin and special attention and respect showered on the Indian leader was also not missed and provoked some to even breach the limits of the acceptable diplomatic niceties in international discourse.
 
Most vocal and irresponsible turned out to be USA and Zelensky as they have been wanting it to take the lead to help achieve peace. Not only this, Russia conferred its highest 300-year- old honour of “Order of the St Andrews- the Apostle” on PM Modi for enriching bilateral ties which he gracefully accepted.

Bilateral engagements
 
After meeting President Putin who drove him in an electric vehicle, PM Modi wrote on social media X: “Held productive discussions with President Putin at the Kremlin. Our talks covered ways to diversify India-Russia cooperation in sectors such as trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology, and innovation. We attach great importance to boosting connectivity and people to people exchanges.” This was also reflected in the nine MoUs and Agreements, which were signed during the visit.
 
Focus on business and investment opportunities in the Far Eastern 1 Russia was highlighted in an Agreement to facilitate these. India had already extended a $1bn Line of Credit for Indian companies to avail of these openings and opportunities.
 
A trade target of $ 100 bn by 20230 was set as was the issue pertaining to current trade imbalance (exports of $61bn Vs $4 bn) that accrued due to higher volumes of crude to India. Trade and payments in bilateral currencies was smoothened out. Likewise, investment by Russian companies of the surplus Roubles in the trillions of dollars of Indian strategic and infrastructure opportunities were institutionalized.
 
Emphasis on operationalizing the Chennai -Vladivostok maritime corridor and the North -South Transport Corridor (INSTC) indicates greater focus on connectivity. One of the key deliverables was the immediate order for discharge and return of Indians who were recruited mischievously by the agents for the Russian army and were put in harm's way.

Four Indian nationals have already been killed. It is imperative that New Delhi ensures stricter controls on migration and recruitments abroad especially when they are taken to the conflict zones by the complicit manpower agencies. It is a known fact that the Indian government attaches great importance to the safety and security of the Indian diaspora.
 
Support to Russia’s BRICS presidency
 
This year Russia is the Chair of BRICS and the Summit will be held in Kazan later in the year and India fully supports the Russian presidency which PM Modi highlighted.
 
Discussions on various Russian initiatives including expansion and new category of partnership as well as the much-spoken BRICS currency would have taken place. Speaker of the Indian Parliament Om Birla led a delegation to BRICS Parliamentary Forum at St. Petersburg on July 10.  
 
PM Modi is expected to attend the Kazan Summit. During these Summits, the leaders talk about all important bilateral, regional, and global issues including India’s concerns over Chinese hegemony and toxic impacts of Sino-Pak axis which is emboldening Pakistan’s continuing cross border terrorism policy against India.
                                                    
Afghanistan and its stability

Stability in Afghanistan is very important for both India and Russia and hence, exchanges and cooperation is important. Moscow has been very actively engaging with the Taliban and could perhaps be the first to recognize it. 
 
Likewise, they have a capacity to play a role in the Middle Eastern war given the fact that they hosted Hamas and Palestinian leaders.
 
Conclusion
 
Climate change, cyber security, food, and energy security are all challenges which are impacting the whole world and not select geographies or countries hence discussion on these clearly was reflected, in the 81 paras, ‘Joint Statement’ issued incorporating the key congruences and directions of this important visit.
 
Cooperation in the Arctic and the Antarctic, space and civil nuclear cooperation including new reactors are in the pipeline. Many new projects in the defence and security domain will follow including with a focus on joint R&D and co-production which has a stellar record as it is with the “Brahmos” missiles.
 
Supply of spares and components and their production in India will boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Hence, the visit of Prime Minister Modi not only bridged the annual summitry hiatus but also reinforced the special and privileged strategic partnership. The visit not only displayed the personal chemistry between the two leaders once again but was indeed symbolic as well as substantive.
 
***The writer is a Distinguished Fellow at Vivekananda International Foundation; he was the ambassador of India to Jordan, Libya, and Malta; views expressed here are his own