Developing relations with the new centers of power is currently one of the key elements of the Russian foreign policy. India is certainly one of these centers of influence. The Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) pays considerable attention to the project “Russia-India: towards a new agenda of the bilateral relations”.
The round table with the delegation of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) that took place in RIAC on May, 23 is an important milestone in developing this project that heralded its taking to the international level.
Developing relations with the new centers of power is currently one of the key elements of the Russian foreign policy. India is certainly one of these centers of influence. The Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) pays considerable attention to the project “Russia-India: towards a new agenda of the bilateral relations”.
The round table with the delegation of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) that took place in RIAC on May, 23 is an important milestone in developing this project that heralded its taking to the international level.
RIAC Director General Andrei Kortunov and ICWA Director General Rajiv Bhatia welcomed the participants at the opening of the event.
Prominent experts on oriental studies including Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, army general and RIAC member Vyacheslav Trubnikov, director of the Institute of Oriental studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and RIAC member Vitaly Naumkin as well as delegates from the Institute of Oriental studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, People’s Friendship University of Russia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) were representing Russia during the event.
The delegation of India consisted of experts from ICWA and other scientific research centers. ICWA is the oldest research institute in the domain of international studies in India.
The participants discussed the provisions of the RIAC work-book “Postulates on Russia-India Relations”, its format implying an approbation of certain ideas and provisions. The Indian colleagues highly appreciated RIAC analytical materials and suggested holding more detailed discussions on a number of issues of bilateral relations. Thus, the approaches of the two countries to establishing a new world order became the focus of attention. ICWA experts stressed that India was interested not in redistributing global influence to the new “poles” but in a truly polycentric world order where India could be one of the many active players.
Both Russian and Indian experts came to a common conclusion that although bilateral cooperation between the governments on the high level is successful, cooperation between business structures and civil societies of the two countries is yet to be developed. It was pointed out that the young people in India were insufficiently informed about Russia and that the presence of Russian mass-media has considerably weakened. The experts stated that enhancing the instruments of public diplomacy and providing expert support to the decision-makers was essential for the successful development of the Russian-Indian relations.
RIAC and ICWA intend to continue cooperation in the field of studying bilateral relations and elaborating specific proposals for their development.
The round table with the delegation of the Indian Council of World Affairs
