There is an old saying that a building with deep, solid and strong foundation does not fear storms. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reminded us of this saying once again in the context of the evergreen India-Russia friendship. After the meeting, Narendra Modi said this friendship is ready for the new challenges; on the other hand, Putin said Russia will continue to supply India with fuel without any interruption, come what may. Their message is clearly directed at the US President Donald Trump!
For the past few days, Donald Trump has repeatedly been saying that Narendra Modi has assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia. When India responded that it takes decisions based on its own energy needs, Trump added that it may take India some time to stop buying Russian oil! It is because of India’s purchase of Russian oil that Trump has imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on India. Some people may have started thinking: Will India bend under the pressure of this reciprocal tariff? Will this weaken the friendship between India and Russia? Many people even asked me this. I have always maintained that India has never bowed down before, it did not bow down today and it will not bow down tomorrow! We believe in non-violence, but we do not bow before anyone. We bow only where there is trust and respect.
India’s relationship with the erstwhile Soviet Union (now Russia) is not based on economic considerations. These relations were built on true friendship of the hearts -- on goodwill, similarity of values and cultural ties. India has had prime ministers who were ideologically closer to America, but once they examined matters deeply through official files, even they maintained strong ties with Russia.
This friendship is truly a bond between the hearts of the two nations. When I went to Moscow to watch the FIFA World Cup, I felt for the first time how natural and genuine the love and respect of the Russian people is for Indians. Before that, I had met Mr Putin in the Central Hall of Parliament. During the football match in Moscow, when I held the Indian tricolour and raised slogans hailing India and Russia, Putin, sitting below, waved his hand and smiled. Let me tell the readers that although the Soviet Union was a communist nation and Russia largely continued in that direction, if you see their office in the Kremlin, its grandeur surpasses even the offices in America and China. The articles there are gold-plated. Perhaps they wanted to bring prosperity into their people’s lives through communism. But now communism exists only on paper.
For the new generation of readers, I want to share this information: India got freedom from Britain but Portugal was not ready to give up its rule over Goa, Daman and Diu. In December 1961, our army attacked and liberated Goa. At that time, countries from Europe to the US were against us but the then Soviet Union supported India. In the United Nations, it used its veto in our favour. Again in 1971, when America sent its 7th Fleet towards the Bay of Bengal to help Pakistan and intimidate India, Soviet submarines had already reached there before them. The Soviet Union’s message to the US was clear: Back off or face the consequences!
India today has the world’s fourth most powerful military and Russia’s contribution in achieving this is immense. Not only has Russia given us reliable weapons, it has also shared weapons technology with us without any fuss or conditions.Not only the US but the countries aligned with it must understand that any attempt -- or trick -- to break India’s friendship with Russia is not going to succeed. Putin was scheduled to arrive in India on December 4, and on December 1, a major English newspaper in India published an article written by German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann, French ambassador Thierry Mathou, and British high commissioner Lindy Cameron. The headline was: 'World wants the Ukraine war to end, but Russia doesn’t seem serious about peace.' If this is not trickery, then what is? But Putin understands all of this very well. That is why, together with Narendra Modi, he rubbed salt on the wounds of those playing tricks. Modi and Putin elevated the India-Russia friendship to such heights that the world was stunned!
Narendra Modi said taking mutual cooperation to new heights is their shared priority. Both countries have agreed on an economic partnership until 2030. We will move ahead with renewed energy on projects such as the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor.
Meanwhile, Putin said without mincing words that Russia is ready to cooperate fully with India in its ‘Make in India’ initiative. The two nations are conducting trade in rubles and rupees. Perhaps keeping Trump in view, Putin also mentioned that India and Russia, along with BRICS countries, are working towards a more just and multipolar world. This language from Modi and Putin must certainly have hurt Trump, but the latter does not have the power to break the friendship between India and Russia.Salamat rahe dostana hamara..!
The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.