Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to New Delhi on March 31 and April 1, 2022.
Mega Diplomatic tussle: US, Russia to 'fight out' in Indian corridors of power
New Delhi
The high profile diplomatic tussle is on cards in Indian corridors of power and diplomatic parleys as top American and Russian representatives would be in Delhi to present their respective perspectives on the month-old Ukraine conflict.
President Joe Biden does not want to leave anything to chance. US Deputy National Security Adviser, Daleep Singh, has been deputed to be India coinciding with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to New Delhi.
Singh is well known to be the key architect of the Biden administration's punitive economic sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Of course, the preparations for the upcoming '2+2' foreign and defence ministerial dialogue in Washington tentatively on April 11 would figure prominently during US Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh's visit.
However, the parleys would definitely revolve around developments globally over Russia-Ukraine conflict.
US Deputy NSA Singh has already been to China.
".....Singh will be in New Delhi to continue our ongoing consultations with the Government of India, and advance a range of issues in the US-India economic relationship and strategic partnership," US National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.
"Singh will consult closely with counterparts on the consequences of Russia's unjustified waragainst Ukraine and mitigating its impact on the global economy," Horne said.
US Deputy NSA's planned trip to India comes in the midst of a flurry of high-profile visits to the country which include British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and German Foreign and Security Policy Advisor Jens Plotner.
There is so much importance on Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov's India visit.
Russia now needs a new cross-border payment plan after its banks were barred from using the international Swift payment system. Nothing can be stated assertively but Rupee-rouble payment plans too could figure.
India needs defence supplies from Russia.
The UK Foreign Secretary is arriving March 31 but German NSA Plotner already held detailed discussions with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Wednesday, March 30.
US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and foreign ministers of Austria and Greece were also in India last week.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made an unscheduled visit and EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific Gabriele Visentin also was in New Delhi.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit to New Delhi on March 31 and April 1, 2022, the MEA informed.
Besides tele talks between PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin more than once,
Foreign Minister Lavrov's visit is in fact the 'highest level of formal diplomatic engagement across the table between the Indian and Russian governments since Moscow launched its military offensive against Ukraine on February 24.
India's repeated abstention from voting at UNSC and UNGA on the conflict has unnerved the US and its allies.
India is the only country among the Quad which has not condemned Russia.
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Russia had its own problems and fault lines in handling 'NATO expansion'
In certain quarters it was believed in the early nineties that Russia was almost trapped into believing that it could even join NATO
The then Russian President Boris Yelstin could be blamed, as initially Russia took a fairly relaxed view of the so-called enlargement programme of NATO.
This was in the 1990s when Russia had fallen 'weak' after the split of Soviet Union and a hardliner nationalist -- Vladimir Putin -- was yet to take the centre stage.
In certain quarters it was believed in the early nineties that Russia was almost trapped into believing that it could even join NATO. The real issue was because President Yelstin was himself not consistent.
The Americans and other western powers, including Germany, could thus take advantage of the 'vacillating position' of the Russian leadership. Then US Secretary of State Warren Christopher had said that because NATO had decided to take new members, it should not keep the willing allies in the 'waiting room'.
But at times, Moscow was being assertive as well. On April 2, 1996, Russia and Belarus announced the formation of the Community of Sovereign Republics (CSR).
In the process, Moscow's message was clear -- some of the former Soviet Republics would stick together in unity.
However, the West did not take the episode much seriously. Even Yelstin was on the move. He befriended the then Chinese President Jiang Zemin and visited Beijing.
The Russian President offered his unequivocal support for China's claims on Tibet and also Taiwan. A joint statement was directed against the West.
"...hegemonism, power politics and repeated imposition of pressure on other countries have continued," it said.
In the subsequent period, Yelstin was re-elected President in July 1996.
The West, meanwhile, played their diplomacy often leaving Moscow's powerhouse Kremlin rather confused on some crucial issues. One such issue was Moscow's demand of a firm commitment against deployment of nuclear weapons in the territory of new members of NATO.
In fact, former US President Bill Clinton and Yelstin even held a summit meet on March 20-21, 1997 at Helsinki. Russia believed it won a pledge that nuke weapons would not be stationed in new member states of NATO.
Thus, when Russia 'reluctantly' agreed to the expansion of NATO, the US decided not to allow any substantial role for Russia in the structure and functioning of the alliance.
Clinton was also firm that he should decide the 'time table' of expansion and that Russia would not stop it.
The delay, Washington thought, would not only give time to Russia to organise itself better, there were other US rivals within NATO who would also get time to 'strengthen themselves'.
There were other instances also where Americans and the West took things for granted and left Russia high and dry.
Analysts recall that within 10-12 days of NATO expansion, it launched air strikes in Yugoslavia. The challenges in Yugoslavia were internal and any 'outside intervention' in the resolution of the crisis was not allowed under the UN Charter.
Predictably, Russia was annoyed. Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who was to attend a meeting in Washington, in fact turned around his aircraft and went back to Moscow.
Russia also withdrew its representative from the Russia-NATO Permanent Joint Council in Brussels.
Even Russia's efforts to send humanitarian aid to Yugoslavia was stalled by a neo-NATO member, Hungary.
Ironically, none better than Clinton himself understood quickly that Russia's embrace of NATO was an essential component that was derailed.
NATO, Clinton once said, would fail in the realisation of its "vision of Europe" unless "it embraces the partnership of Russia".
The Kosovo crisis was thus the first major post Soviet Union collapse crisis between Russia and America. It essentially bordered around trust deficit.
(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist and author of 'The Talking Guns: North East India'. The views expressed are personal - IANS)
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NSA Doval meets German Foreign Policy Advisor, both discuss key issues
New Delhi
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday, March 30, met Jens Plötner, Security and Foreign Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor here in New Delhi and both sides discussed a wide range of bilateral as well as global issues.
Sources said major global developments including in their respective regions came up for detailed deliberations and closer scrutiny.
The visit of the German Security and Foreign Policy Adviser comes at a time when several other high level foreign dignitaries are visiting India for consultations on ongoing bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.
During the talks today, the two sides reaffirmed the strength and resilience of the strategic partnership between
the two countries.
They agreed about the "immense potential" that it holds for mutual benefit.
"They agreed that the forthcoming 6th Inter-Governmental Consultations would provide an opportunity
for the leadership on both sides to engage and intensify the bilateral partnership".
Sources say NSA Doval and his German counterpart also discussed recent developments in their
respective regions.
Mr Doval emphasized India’s consistent approach for the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance
with international law and also about India's commitment to the UN Charter and the principles of respect
for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states.
Both sides agreed to remain engaged on issues of mutual interest, it is understood.
Elizabeth Truss, British Foreign Secretary will pay an official visit to India on March 31, Thursday.
Ms Truss will hold bilateral consultations with External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar on bilateral,
regional and global issues of mutual interest, officials say.
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