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It was one of the outstanding foreign trips of Indian Prime Minister A.B.
Vajpayee in 2003, which took him to three different nations in the month of November. If it was terrorism, strategic partnership and winning some more trust from West Asia, which outlined his visit to Tajikistan, Russia, and Syria, then the outcome was definitely productive, relevant and purposeful, thus, providing a new dimension to New Delhi’s old ties with these friendly countries. Mr. Vajpayee’s first halt was in Moscow on November 12.
A Growing Relation
It was their fourth meeting between Prime Minister Vajpayee and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met on November 12 in Moscow for their annual summit. Apart from issuing a joint statement, India and Russia signed 10 agreements in the fields of science and technology, space, earthquake research as well as a number of bilateral banking accords. The two leaders reviewed their defence relationship at the highest level.
Economics dominated the summit talks between the two sides. That close contacts existed between India and Russia, efforts were being made to give a push to the stagnating trade relationship between the two countries. The India-Russian bilateral trade was about $1.4 billion while India’s trade with China was expected to touch $7 billion this year. Hence, Russia remains the top priority for economic ties.
India and Russia must assign precedence to bilateral economic ties in order to sustain their strategic partnership, a senior Russian diplomat said. “India and Russia are strategic partners with a dynamic political agenda and strong defence ties, so the main task today is to give a powerful impulse to our economic cooperation which still falls far short of its potential,” the First Deputy Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, said.
One such opportunity was investment in each other’s economies, as had been showcased by ONGC-Videsh’s $1.7-billion involvement in Russia’s Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project and the construction of two Russian nuclear reactors at Koodankulam. “There is also great scope for collaboration in science-intensive technologies,” Mr. Trubnikov said.
Indo-Russian trade has stagnated at around $1.5 billion in recent years, and fears have been voiced that it may fall even lower after India completes repaying the bulk of old Soviet rupee debts to Russia next year. “The sooner we switch from rupees to dollars in our trade, the better,” he said. “This would give a strong fillip to our ties.”
Mr. Vajpayee called on the business communities of India and Russia to build dynamic and multi-faceted economic partnerships to underpin the strategic partnership between the two countries. Mr. Vajpayee identified machinery and equipment, IT and telecom, automobile components, gems and jewellery, food processing, tourism, pharmaceuticals and energy as areas for “focused cooperation” between India and Russia.
The summit meetings reviewed and emphasized the progress achieved in different elements of the Indo-Russian strategic partnership. The two sides were close to an agreement on concluding contracts relating to the purchase of the aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov.
Apart from a host of global and regional issues, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel-Palestinian conflict and cross-border terrorism were discussed in details.
The two countries affirmed that collective and multilateral processes rather than unilateral ones should determine the future international order based on multipolarity. Defence cooperation also was discussed in details.
Visualising a bright future for India-Russia relations, the Prime Minister, however made it clear that the two countries should not rest on “past laurels” since this would lead to “stagnation” and must strengthen the economic basis of their relationship. Mr. Vajpayee said there were no divisive issues in the bilateral relationship. On the contrary, each sees a benefit for itself in the increased political and economic strength of the other. This is best illustrated by Russia’s public and unambiguous support to India’s permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council,” Mr. Vajpayee said.
New Delhi, Dushanbe one step forward
Mr. Vajpayee was in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, on November 13. It was the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Tajikistan since the country obtained independence on September 9, 1991. Tajikistan recently opened its embassy in New Delhi. During his stay, Prime Minister Vajpayee met the President, Emomali Sharifovich Rakhmanov, and the Prime Minister, Akil Akilov.
During his stay in Dushanbe, PM Vajpayee and Tajik President Rakhmanaov called for increasing trade between the two countries. One crucial area identified was the vast hydro-electric potential of Tajikistan. India announced a financial package of $40 million for Tajikistan, which included a credit line of $25 million, which could be used for mutually agreed industrial and infrastructure projects.
India would cooperate with Tajikistan on developing the latter’s infrastructure for mutual benefit. The two sides agreed to extend road links from the Iranian port of Chabahar through Afghanistan into Tajikistan and set up a joint working group on counter-terrorism. India would help Tajikistan reconstruct the airport at Ayni.
New Delhi and Dushanbe decided to intensify defence cooperation. India would extend assistance for the “infrastructure requirements” of the Military Training College in Dushanbe. The other agreements signed included an extradition treaty, the setting up of an Indo-Tajik Information Technology Centre and an accord on tourism cooperation.
Both sides agreed on the issues linked to international terrorism. The signing of a joint working group on counter-terrorism would help in combating international terrorism, organised crime, money laundering and illegal trafficking in weapons. Afghanistan came up for detailed discussion.
India’s relation with Tajikistan is based upon certain fundamental principles. “Our relationship in the present day is built on a shared commitment to democracy, secularism and the rule of law. We have common concerns in the region,” Mr. Vajpayee stressed at the end of the visit.
India Syria seeking new grounds
When Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee landed in Damascus on November 14 for a three-day state visit, it was the first such visit at the highest level in more than a decade. Rajiv Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Damascus way back in 1988. The visit was crucial keeping in mind New Delhi’s policy towards West Asia, and her current engagement with Tel Aviv.
During his stay, the Prime Minister met the Syrian President, Basher al-Assad, and held detailed discussions on bilateral, regional and international matters. India and Syria signed nine agreements in the fields of biotechnology, education, small industries, agriculture, science and technology, culture and technical cooperation.
India and Syria have agreed that their economic and commercial relationship needs to be developed extensively to raise it to a level commensurate with their political relations. India would extend a credit line of $25 million to Syria apart from a grant of $1 million to set up a Syrian National Biotechnology Centre.
The two countries decided to set up a group of experts to discuss complementarities in the economies of the two countries as well as a group of six persons to discuss further cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector. The two countries agreed to create durable partnerships in areas such as infrastructure, energy exploration and services.
There is no change in India’s position on establishing peace in West Asia, the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, assured the Syrian President. The situation in the region was a “matter of great concern” to India. India was “fully” with the Palestinian cause. India had consistently called for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in West Asia based on the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the “land for peace” formula.
Both countries also agreed on the need for an “early return” of sovereignty to the people of Iraq. India and Syria condemned terrorism. India desired to see the end of the occupation of the Golan Heights and withdrawal from “occupied territories” by Israel.
Syria was in full appreciation of the “wonderful progress” made by India in the economic, scientific and technological levels. New Delhi is eager to give a contemporary input to its relations with Damascus. “Our broad similarity of outlook gives us the opportunity of crafting a contemporary relationship for the present and the future, drawing inspiration from the past,” Prime Minister Vajpayee said emphatically in Damascus.
Summing Up: PM Vajpayee’s three-nation tour was not only timely but productive and substantial at this juncture. If India and Russia reaffirmed to strengthen their strategic ties, New Delhi along with Tajikistan and Syria committed to add new areas of emphasis. Such moves speak of the urgency of taking bilateral ties to new heights in the changing world order.
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