Official opinion
Moscow and Delhi Should Avoid Stereotypes
Yesterday in Moscow an official visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was completed. Yashwant Sinha, Foreign Affairs Minister of India sums up the latest Russian-Indian summit in an exclusive interview to a ‘ÿ”s observer.
Moscow is a starting point of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s foreign tour, in the course of which he is also supposed to visit Tajikistan and Syria. The route looks quite unusual. Is there any hidden implication in it for Indian diplomacy?
On the face of it, such a route seems quite unusual, indeed. However you shouldn’t look for any ulterior motives in it. Everything is much more simple. In the of the fall Prime Minister had an opportunity to spend some days on a foreign trip, and he made up his mind to avail himself of his old friends’ invitation. So the route Moscow – Dushanbe
Damask has been drawn up. Prime Minister has a special agenda in each country. Nevertheless, there are common questions which are to be discussed in each of these countries. Without going into details I can say that the problems of global and internal security are supposed to be under discussion, i. e. that what the world community is worried about most of all.
The first “Moscow” part of the trip is coming to an end. What is your evaluation of the results of the latest Russian-Indian summit? What is worth paying attention at?
It a complicated question. I mean, it is not easy to highlight something special, saying that such and such matters are more important than the others. For the last years the two leaders have worked out the mechanisms of constant interaction. Summits are held yearly. Besides, the leaders of the two counties interact closely during various international events, such as celebrations of the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg or the 58th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. This is his fourth meeting with Mr. Vajpayee, after Mr. Putin payed an official visit to India in December, 2002. Each meeting adds something new in our relations. As it is known, evolution is based on the principle of increase. So we are stepping into a new stage.
Paying special attention to the development of our bilateral trade and investments is the main feature of the present summit. This the first time when Mr. Vajpayee has come to Moscow with a delegation of Indian business circles included 90 persons. Moscow saw the flower of Indian business. It shows that the Indian part is eager to make a breakthrough in the economic relations between our countries.
What is to be done for it?
First of all, we should renounce our old stereotypes, which hold the representatives of our business circles in captivity. Our businessmen should treat each other in the same way as they treat their business partners from other countries, and build economic relations on the same basis. We should move up our trade into settling in convertible currency. We also should make it possible to have the part of the debt, which India has not payed off to Russia, not only used as means for purchasing new goods, but also reinvested in joint projects.
Last week India tested the cruise missile “Brahmos” made in cooperation with the Russian part. Nevertheless, as India is expanding the sources of purchasing arms, from Western suppliers, India is seemed to step away from Russia. How could you comment on it?
Military-technical cooperation with Russia has always been the basis of our relations. So does it today. I am absolutely sure that we’ll keep the level and even increase our cooperation in this field. It is crucial, that a new stage of cooperation should begin, when we are not just the seller and the customer. We set up joint ventures, producing up-to-date arms in order to sell them in the third world countries. As for the statement saying that we turn aside from Russia in this area, it does not correspond the facts.
In the course of the last summit the parties coordinated the last details the transaction concerning the purchase of aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov” to India. The transaction is expected to be made by the end of November, this year. According to our information the hot haggling went on a long time, up to the last moment. Are you satisfied with the final terms and conditions of the deal?
It is natural, that the parties haggle before making such kind of transactions. The talks were tough, but taking into account the scale of this deal, it can be considered to be normal. I am glad that we have drawn out terms and conditions, which satisfy both parties. I would like to underline that acquisition of this aircraft carrier will be crucial in strengthening defensive capability of India.
In the end of October Indian leaders came forward with a new initiative on settling the relations with Pakistan. The previous initiatives were futile. Are there any chances this time?
There are no guarantees that we will manage to avoid the repetition of the past. When there are two parties who touch the subject, it is very difficult to predict which way they will behave. Now we do not agree with the Pakistani point of view.
President Putin suggested being an intermediate. Why did you refuse the Russian proposal?
You should understand one simple thing. In 1972 Indira Gandhi signed the Simla Agreement with the Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in accordance with which the problem should be solved by both parties. So we want to be logical.
