Two major armed conflicts at the world stage -- Russia against Ukraine and Israel against Hamas are well known. There is another 'war' in the year 2023 -- that is between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
These two republics of the former Soviet Union, are at loggerheads over Nagorno-Karabakh.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh region became part of Azerbaijan. Therefore, according to international law, the land belongs to Azerbaijan. But the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenian – which led to a complicated conflict between the two countries.
There have been internal clash ans chaos in countries such as Myanmar and as it is in the neighbourhood, India will have reasons to be cautious. But with regard two major conflicts, India is being courted by "both sides" especially in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
With regard Russia-Ukraine conflict, India played the 'patience' game punctuated with maturity. While the US and the western powers openly took sids blasted Vladimir Putin and his policies; the Modi govrenment maintained a crafty path and friendly ties with both nations.
One can say India positioned itself as a global statesman in true sense. Hence even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hs been assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his government will do “everything we can” to help end the war.
Similar assurance was stored for Moscow as well. While India has never voted in recent times along side Russia on any occasion at the UN; it has "abstained" more than once from condemning the Russian invasion at the UN voting table. Putin himself was impressed and he made it clear that New Delhi cannot be pressurised.
At the fag end of December 2023, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar was in Moscow and was given audience with Putin himself. The Russian President broke protocol and also invited PM Modi for an early visit.
Putin told Dr Jaishankar said that despite all the turmoil happening worldwide, the relationship with "our true friends in Asia - India has been progressing incrementally".
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| Putin hosting Dr Jaishankar - a rare !! |
He talked about the Ukraine war and said, "I know that he (PM Modi) is willing to do his utmost so that issues are resolved peacefully."
The Russian President further said he knew that India will have a busy political schedule (general elections) next year. "We wish our friends success in that."
Modi has earlier urged Putin to use “dialogue and diplomacy” to end the war. At the same after Modi’s meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak met India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Among other things they also discussed Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan.
Notably, Dr Jaishankar himself says: “India would not have been able to valuably mediate and help ease the situation if it had done what the West wanted it to do during the early stages of the war.”
In fact at a special programme on 'India-Russia Relationship' in Moscow, Dr Jaishankar said, "To me what is actually exceptional in the India-Russia relationship is from the early fifties -- for 70-80 odd years - there have been changes in this period......Russia has transformed and India has grown and yet if there is one constant actually in world politics, it is the relationship between India and Russia".
The month of October triggered another major conflict between Hamas and Israel following the murderous terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct 7th (7/10) and whose end is not in sight.
Since 2007, Hamas has ruled the Gaza strip, raising a generation under its thumb.
"It has a stronghold among the Gaza refugee community and collaborates closely with the clans of Gaza. It governed mosques, hospitals, and schools long before 2007; it was involved in nearly every facet of life," says an article in 'Indian Express'.
In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack, Prime Minister Modi joined other world leaders in expressing solidarity with Israel. As the conflict escalated, India also abstained from a UN resolution that called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.
At the Voice of the Global South Summit, PM Modi condemned the Hamas attacks of October 7 and called for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy in resolving the conflict. The legacy matter that India has been closely aligned with the Palestinian cause did not bother the Modi government.
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