Friendship treaty was rock solid; its spirit is prevalent in new-age geopolitic
The real test of friendship is the one that stands the test of time. Bonds between India and Russia can best be defined by this maxim. Both countries share proximate traditional relationships that have continued for the past seven decades. The birth of relations between the two countries can be traced back to the time India was born as an independent nation.
It was, perhaps, a growing sense of realisation about mutual necessity on the part of both Moscow and New Delhi, that brought them closer. The dynamics which played behind the formulation of friendship are wide-ranging. On the Indian side, there was a US-Pakistan military alliance; along with it came the estrangement of India-US ties; the Sino-Pakistan strategic relationship; and the Sino-Pakistan-US strategic convergence. As for Russia, it was the Sino-Russian military confrontation; the Sino-US quasi-strategic relationship of the 1975-1980; and the Russian need to reach out to Third World countries via India. What was common, however, was the containment of China, Pakistan and the United States of America.
More than mutual interests, the friendship owes its allegiance to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s fondness — or maybe his romance — for Russia (which was then the Soviet Union). Nehru was a great admirer of the Soviets since his childhood days and found many similarities between both India and Soviet Russia. The bonhomie started with Nehru’s June 1995 sojourn to the USSR. Subsequently, his gesture was reciprocated by Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin, who visited India later in December 1955. Though Nehru’s trip did not bring immediate gains, it was high on strategic benefits — there were no illusions but only ideas.
This is why Nehru’s 1955 USSR sojourn, which re-shaped the geopolitics of India, holds relevance even today. Russia continues to give valuable political, diplomatic and strategic support to India, bilaterally as well as at international forums. The reason for this continued friendship is the rock-solid foundation that was laid back in 1971, with the signing of the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. This pact not only epitomised the special relationship between both the states, but also acted as a guarantor of regional peace. The treaty may have been replaced by a modern version, but its legacy continues to buttress the burgeoning strategic partnership between India and Russia.
The significance of the agreement can be gauged by the studying the geopolitical and strategic context in which it was signed. The unfolding of events in neighbouring Pakistan and also the promising international scenario led to the signing of this historic treaty. Post-independence, east Pakistan saw a growing sense of struggle for autonomy. On the other hand, the Indira Gandhi Government was faced with the influx of millions of refugees from there — there was every possibility of a war between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan was backed by its all-weather friend, China, which promised to launch military intervention against India on behalf of Islamabad in case of war. At the very least, India wanted to avoid Chinese confrontation.
Internationally, Washington, DC and Beijing were entering into a strategic alliance. An enhanced Sino-US tie emboldened Beijing to be impervious to Indian overtures. Alongside, the US was supporting Islamabad at the cost of its relations with New Delhi. All of these developments placed Pakistan in a win-win situation. So, India was faced with an emerging US-China-Pakistan nexus. This was the most terrifying moment for India.
In such a crisis-like situation, New Delhi and Moscow moved closer to inking the historic Indo-Soviet Treaty to counter-balance the threat from the emerging Washington-Beijing-Islamabad axis and shield their vital geopolitical interests. The pact legally united both countries and paved the way for a multi-faceted relationship and cooperation between them, which has been nurtured over the years and elevated to a high strategic-level partnership. The message was very clear to India’s adversaries. The US, China and Pakistan could read between the lines. The designs of the dragon, which was ready to intrude from the north, were foiled. The treaty also put the US on the back foot.
However, according to the provisions, the friendship treaty had to be renewed, given the mutual desire on both sides for the same. Mid-1991, it became abundantly clear that both countries wanted to extend the pact to the 21st century. However, the so-called August 1991 coup in Moscow, which hastened the disintegration of the Soviet Union, changed the plan.
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, relations between Delhi and Moscow too turned ambiguous, if not hostile. To rejuvenate the old spirit, a high-level Indian delegation visited Moscow in 1992 to undertake damage control measures. However, to India’s utter shock, a new draft of the treaty was offered by Russia. After much deliberation, a new version was eventually signed in 1993.
The difference between the earlier and the new treaties was that the new one was bereft of the vital security clauses that was the essence of the 1971 pact. This gave rise to a new low in the ties between the two states. However, subsequently, post-West expedition, Moscow started re-discovering the virtues of the treaty. This was a positive development for the bilateral relationship, post-Soviet Russia disintegration.
The declarations henceforth on strategic partnership, signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a reflection of the spirit and essence of the historic 1971 treaty. While the historic may have taken a downturn, its spirit and legacy continues to live in today’s ‘special and privileged strategic partnership’ between India and Russia.
Photo Courtesy: alamy.com
