Jaishankar indicates difference in ties with Russia and Quad
New Delhi, October 10
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday drew a distinction between the Quad and India’s relationship with Russia. While Quad was focused on the Indo-Pacific, he indicated that India’s ties with Russia is a judgment which is “reflective of both our future interest as well as our current situation”.
The minister also declined to divulge India’s vote in advance of a debate in the UN General Assembly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The Quad is a mechanism which is primarily focused on the Indo‑Pacific, and I think that’s an area where the convergence of interests between the Quad partners is particularly strong. With regard to India and Russia, we have really a long-standing relationship with Russia, a relationship that has certainly served our interests well,” he said at a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart in Canberra on Monday.
“It’s important to appreciate that a naval presence that strengthens safety and security, and contributes to prosperity and progress in a region, by definition, is an asset to the strategic scenario of that region,” he said in a firm indication of India’s commitment to the Quad despite its differences with the other three members on the policy towards Russia.
Another indication of India’s commitment to Quad was its activism at the IAEA to defeat a Chinese resolution that sought to throw a spanner in the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) project to construct nuclear-powered submarines for Canberra for effective patrolling and deterrence in the Indian Ocean. Jaishankar hinted at India’s role by stating “we urged other members”.
However, Jaishankar held firm on the India-Russia ties. Besides the merits of the weapon systems, India’s inventory of Russia equipment also grew because “for multiple decades, Western countries did not supply weapons to India and in fact saw a military dictatorship next to us as the preferred partner”.
“I think in international politics we deal with what we have. We make judgments which are reflective of both our future interest as well as our current situation, and my sense is in terms of this current conflict, like every military conflict, there are learnings from it, and I am sure my very professional colleagues in the military would be studying it very carefully,” he added.
