India-Russia Strategic Partnership

The strategic partnership between India and Russia was signed during the visit of President Putin to India in the year 2000. Since then, the Indo-Russian relationship has diversified enor-mously and today it is uniquely strong and also expanding in the areas of defence, nuclear energy, hydrocarbons, space research and in science & technology. This relationship is based on a strong national consensus in both countries that has cut across ideologies or political differences. Although differences arise over certain issues on certain occasions, the overall parallelism in the Indo-Russian relationship definitely symbolises the trust that still exists between them. India and Russia have now reached a stage where the economies of both the countries are resurgent and at the same time diversifying. Both econo-mies are developing significantly to provide a good base for expanding business contacts and promoting new projects. Nonetheless, in spite of accelerated growth and immense opportunities, statistics show that business transaction is much less than the potential which exists between them. It is necessary to publicise the positive experiences and growth of both countries, which will help people in both countries to orient themselves to the present realities and will boost bilateral cooperation in various fields. With these aspects as a backdrop, this book has been conceived. This book is an outcome of the research papers presented during the conference held at Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi, India, along with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The book covers a wide spectrum of issues and concerns related to India-Russia Strategic Partnership, and outlines various challenges and prospects for developing this relationship further. An attempt has been made here to contextualise the debate in a more cogent form.