... Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation; and Mohammad Hasan Sheikholeslami, President, Institute of Political and International Studies; addressed the participants with welcoming remarks.
Session 1 of the roundtable was devoted to the Russian, Indian and Iranian interests in Afghanistan and the possibilities of their interaction on issues of common interest in order to normalize the situation. The speakers included: Seyyed Rasoul Mousavi, MFA Director general of South Asia Department, Former Ambassador to Tajikistan and Finland; ...
... withdrawal.
The NATO withdrawal creates significant hurdles for regional stability and a power vacuum in Central Asia. There are several players, both internal and external, who are seeking to fill the void left by the Americans and their allies. Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkey, China and Russia seem poised to play the next “
great game
” in the so-called “
graveyard of empires
”. Some of these states have a vested interest in the stability of Afghanistan to ensure regional security and foster economic interests as well as mitigate the spread of extremism and narcotics flows from the state. Some actors stand to benefit from the current instability; supporting rival groups in hopes of enhancing ...
... developments also open new opportunities for broad cooperation within BRICS and the consultative mechanism of three SCO members — Russia, India, and China (known as RIC). The next RIC meeting is scheduled to take place alongside the upcoming BRICS summit in Osaka ... ... stability and sustainable development in the region. In particular, the resolution noted their efforts to achieve stability in Afghanistan. In this regard, it is necessary to note the progressive growth of interaction within the Eurasian Economic Union ...
... Washington with instruments for applying pressure (including political pressure) on India, which is critically dependent on energy imports. Finally, Iran’s energy partnership with China could transform into a political partnership, effectively cutting India off from Central Asia and Afghanistan.
There are also a number of potential threats for Russia. The country could see its business opportunities in the Indian market narrowed and might end up with Europe and China as its two key gas consumers. Russian companies would end up being restricted to India’s LNG segment, in which they do not ...
... place in Beijing on the eve of the Qingdao summit. However, serious interest in increasing the SCO’s activities regarding Afghanistan expressed at the meetings has not yet been substantively documented (as a result of which the Declaration merely “summed ... ... time being remains rather vague and lacking in real content. The Qingdao Declaration drew particular attention to this fact.
Russia and other SCO states (with the exception of India, a fact also reflected in the meeting’s final document) generally support the One Belt One Road concept, while actively ...
... opportunities that have been missed in the last 30 years.
How would you characterise the Russia-Pakistan relationship?
Pakistan is an important player, we want to be involved, have a relationship with them. But they are not in the same category as China or India.
Is Russia supporting Taliban in Afghanistan?
We are playing a very complicated game – sometimes we support somebody, sometimes we help somebody else. Taliban is also different. When we saw the US going in with ground troops we were aghast. That was a disaster. Now it’s different ...
... organization.
How are Russia and India cooperating in maintaining regional security at this stage?
As to cooperation between Russia and India in the field of security in the region, our interaction is deep-rooted. Even before the coalition forces entered Afghanistan, the Northern Alliance enjoyed joint support from India and Russia. This is an important factor. The experience of such interaction exists. The SCO today has the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), which is very important for India, a country which suffers from terrorism. Then there is the factor of Pakistan,...
... cooperation and interaction in international structures such as the SCO and CSTО (Collective Security Treaty Organization).
Russia’s potential opportunities and risks broadly balance each other out. The importance of the South Asian vector for Russian foreign policy seems set to rise by 2020, due to links with India, Afghanistan and Pakistan and broader security strategy in continental Asia.
References
1
. A strategic global forecast 2030 /IMEMO RAS; edited by A.A.Dynkin. M.: Magister, 2011. p. 472.
2
. India’s International Trade. A Tech Segregated Perspective: ...
