https://sputniknews.in/20240108/russia-aims-to-be-a-net-guarantor-of-maritime-safety-in-indian-ocean-expert-6128097.html
Russia Aims for ‘Net Guarantor of Maritime Safety’ Status in Indian Ocean: Expert
Russia Aims for ‘Net Guarantor of Maritime Safety’ Status in Indian Ocean: Expert
Sputnik India
Moscow’s bilateral trade volumes with both China and India has surged to unprecedented volumes since last year, making stability in Indian and Pacific Oceans essential for Russia's economic interests.
2024-01-08T19:28+0530
2024-01-08T19:28+0530
2024-01-08T19:49+0530
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Russia strives to play the role of a “net guarantor of maritime safety” in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as Moscow increasingly focuses towards expanding trade and economic ties with countries such as India and China, an academic has told Sputnik India.Kupriyanov was part of the Russian delegation attending the inaugural dialogue between Russia's Valdai Discussion Club and New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi.Prominent Indian and Russian think-tankers discussed various facets of India-Russia cooperation as well as their interactions in multilateral groupings such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the VIF headquarters in New Delhi.He highlighted that Moscow has already finalised a 25-year pact with Sudan to develop a naval base in the nation as part of its growing focus on the region.Kupriyanov stated that the focus of Russia’s foreign policy has been primarily towards the Ukraine crisis since last February, but it was likely that Moscow could reinvigorate its presence in Indian and Pacific Oceans once the conflict ended.Russia’s ‘Foreign Policy Concept’ released last March calls for expanding cooperation with Asia-Pacific nations, with a particular emphasis laid on expanding strategic and economic ties with China and India.Russia’s Economic Interests in the Indian OceanKupriyanov noted that Moscow was expanding its trade with both China and India since last year, and thus a growing presence in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea was in line with the economic ambitions.Kupriyanov underscored that Moscow viewed New Delhi as a “major potential investor” in its plans to develop the Far-East region which has huge deposits of coal and other energy deposits.The Russian delegate underscored that India could benefit from increasing its coal intake from Russia to satisfy its energy demands.As part of the ‘Act Far East Policy’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok in 2019, New Delhi extended a credit line of $1 billion for Indian companies seeking to develop and expand operations in the Far-East.‘Bangladesh Welcomes Russian Presence’Kupriyanov said that besides India, Bangladesh also “welcomed” Russian naval presence in the region.He highlighted that the call by Russian warships at Bangladesh's Chattogram port last year was intended to send a message of "solidarity" with Dhaka.The visit by Russian warships to Bangladesh was the first from Moscow since 1973, when Pacific Fleet was involved in mine-clearing operations in then newly-independent nation.Moscow also played a significant naval role in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971, besides being a major supplier of weapons to Indian forces who were directly involved in ground operations against Pakistani forces.Significantly, Russia is also funding as well as providing technical expertise to Dhaka to develop its first civil nuclear plant.
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Russia Aims for ‘Net Guarantor of Maritime Safety’ Status in Indian Ocean: Expert
19:28 08.01.2024 (Updated: 19:49 08.01.2024) Moscow’s bilateral trade volumes with both China and India has surged to unprecedented volumes since last year, making stability in Indian and Pacific Oceans essential for Russia's economic interests.
Russia strives to play the role of a “net guarantor of maritime safety” in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as Moscow increasingly focuses towards expanding trade and economic ties with countries such as India and China, an academic has told Sputnik India.
“We maintained a presence here during the Cold War. There was a special squadron which was part of the Pacific Fleet that oversaw Moscow’s operations in the Indian Ocean, including Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,” said Alexey Kupriyanov, an expert in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) at Moscow-based think tank IMEMO RAS (Institute of World Economy and International Relations).
Kupriyanov was part of the Russian delegation attending the inaugural dialogue between Russia's Valdai Discussion Club and New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) in New Delhi.
Prominent Indian and Russian think-tankers discussed various facets of India-Russia cooperation as well as their interactions in multilateral groupings such as
BRICS, G20 and
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the VIF headquarters in New Delhi.
Kupriyanov recalled that Moscow’s ties with Asia-Pacific and African countries were largely limited to political cooperation after the end of the Cold War. He, however, added that since 2021, Moscow has recalibrated its foreign policy focus towards the region.
He highlighted that Moscow has already finalised a 25-year pact with
Sudan to develop a naval base in the nation as part of its growing focus on the region.
Kupriyanov stated that the focus of Russia’s foreign policy has been primarily towards the Ukraine crisis since last February, but it was likely that Moscow could reinvigorate its presence in Indian and Pacific Oceans once the conflict ended.
“We could possibly see one or two Russian naval squadrons focused on the region as it used to be case during the Cold War,” the expert reckoned.
He noted that India’s own Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) viewed the region as a “sphere of cooperation and free trade without making any exceptions”.
Russia’s ‘Foreign Policy Concept’ released last March calls for expanding cooperation with Asia-Pacific nations, with a particular emphasis laid on expanding strategic and economic ties with China and India.
Russia’s Economic Interests in the Indian Ocean
Kupriyanov noted that Moscow was
expanding its trade with both China and India since last year, and thus a growing presence in the Indian Ocean and
South China Sea was in line with the economic ambitions.
“We have had some unpleasant experience on the Northern Sea Route in 2021, when our ships were detained by Denmark. We don't want a repeat of that situation here in Asia-Pacific,” he said.
Kupriyanov underscored that Moscow viewed New Delhi as a “major potential investor” in its plans to develop the Far-East region which has huge deposits of coal and other energy deposits.
The Russian delegate underscored that
India could benefit from
increasing its coal intake from Russia to satisfy its energy demands.
“The Chennai Vladivostok corridor could serve as a major route to carry Russian coal to India,” he said.
As part of the ‘Act Far East Policy’ announced by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in
Vladivostok in 2019, New Delhi extended a credit line of $1 billion for Indian companies seeking to develop and expand operations in the Far-East.
‘Bangladesh Welcomes Russian Presence’
Kupriyanov said that besides India,
Bangladesh also “welcomed” Russian naval presence in the region.
"Bangladesh is our long-term partner. But currently, Bangladesh is under pressure (from the West). They rely on the US and EU markets for garment and other exports," he stated, an apparent reference to Washington's criticism of Bangladesh's election process.
He highlighted that the call by Russian warships at Bangladesh's Chattogram port last year was intended to send a message of "solidarity" with Dhaka.
"We want to show them our friendship through maritime diplomacy since it appears to be the best gesture of solidarity towards a nation in the current geopolitical circumstances," asserted Kupriyanov.
The visit by
Russian warships to Bangladesh was the first from Moscow since 1973, when Pacific Fleet was involved in mine-clearing operations in then newly-independent nation.
Moscow also played a significant naval role in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971, besides being a major supplier of weapons to Indian forces who were directly involved in ground operations against Pakistani forces.
Significantly, Russia is also funding as well as providing technical expertise to Dhaka to develop its first civil nuclear plant.
