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'These agreements have a great significance hence they have been signed amid the US threats to impose sanctions against India or any other country which cooperates with any of American's enemy countries,' said Swaran Singh, Professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, in an interview with the Islamic Republic News agency (IRNA).
'Military and nuclear issues are the two major areas of cooperation between India and Russia, As Russia is still the largest supplier of military equipment to India,' he added.
The military cooperation between India and Russia has always been more than trade. And now it has become a bilateral partnership in researching, developing and manufacturing advanced military equipment, leading to producing all kinds of Brahmos supersonic missiles, Sukhoi Su-30 fighters and T-90 tanks are prominent examples of this cooperation, the analyst opined.
On the 19th India-Russia summit in New Delhi, Singh commented that 'these two countries also will conduct joint annual exercises between their ground and naval forces in India and Russia.'
He went on to note that 'Guided by central axioms of ‘strategic autonomy’ while seeking ‘multi-alignments’, India’s foreign policy continues to strive for a balance in its equations with all major powers even when they may be at loggerheads with each other.
'India’s increasingly close relations with all countries from Iran to Saudi Arabia and UAE provides most apt example. India has also sustained its ‘strategic partnership’ with Iran in spite of repeated pressures from successive U.S. administrations,' said professor Singh.
It’s a reality that Russia has been most reliable partner of India in sensitive sectors of defence, space and nuclear technologies, he added.
'Even today over 65 per cent of defence equipment of India remains of Soviet/Russian origin though things may change in the coming decades. But, as India seeks to diversify its defence suppliers, it’s inevitable that India will continue to maintain close relations with Russia which is being testified by signing of their $ 5 billion S-400 deal this Friday for purchase of which China has already been slapped with sanctions,' the professor said.
Most likely, the US may invoke its Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) 2017 to allow ‘conditional’ waiver in case of this one purchase by India,
Professor Singh stressed, saying that it would be the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
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