22nd India-Russia Annual Summit

Why in News?

The 22^nd India-Russia Annual Summit  in Moscow, brought together Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin to discuss a wide range of issues. The summit aimed to solidify the strategic partnership between the two nations, particularly in light of the ongoing geopolitical tensions.

• In another development Russia has reached a significant economic milestone by being upgraded from an upper-middle-income to a high-income country by the World Bank,  despite ongoing Western sanctions.

What are the Key Highlights of the  22nd India-Russia Annual Summit?

• Diplomatic Achievements: President Vladimir Putin conferred Russia’s highest civilian honour, the “Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle,” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle was established by Tsar Peter the Great in 1698 and reinstated in 1998, featuring a double-headed eagle emblem and a light blue silk moire ribbon.
    • The award is named after Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Russia and Scotland, known for spreading Christianity across Europe and Asia.
  • Prime Minister Modi was honoured with this award for promoting the strategic partnership and friendly relations between Russia and India, and the announcement was made in 2019, highlighting Modi’s pivotal role in enhancing bilateral cooperation
    • Foreign leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev have also been honoured with this award.
• Economic Cooperation: A new bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030 was set, significantly higher than the previous target of USD 30 billion by 2025, which was nearly doubled in 2023.
  • This is mainly due to  India’s increased imports of Russian crude at a discount after the US and Europe imposed oil sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
  • Agreement to prepare a comprehensive “Programme-2030” for developing promising areas of economic cooperation.
    • This program will be coordinated by the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
      • IRIGC-TEC is the apex G2G forum for bilateral economic cooperation, chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India and the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
  • India and the Eurasian Economic Union have commenced negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement on goods. They also plan to explore a bilateral free-trade agreement in services and investments.
  • The Leaders agreed to facilitate participation of Russian businesses in “Make in India”  and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” programs, and Indian companies in investment projects in Russia.
• Defence and Technology:  Transition from buyer-seller relationship to joint research, development, co-development, and joint production of advanced defence technology and systems.
  • They also aim to encourage joint manufacturing of spare parts and components for Russian-origin arms and defence equipment in India under the Make-in-India program.
    • This includes setting up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and for subsequent export to friendly third countries.
  • They have agreed to establish a new Working Group on Technological Cooperation to discuss its provisions in the next meeting of Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the Prime Minister of India’s request to discharge Indian military recruits serving in the Russian military on the Ukrainian war  front and wishing to return to India.
    • Russian law allows the recruitment of foreign soldiers after thorough screening, including mental and physical checks.
• Transport and Connectivity: The Sides are focused on developing stable and efficient transport corridors in Eurasia, including the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor and the  International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
  • The Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor,  is a sea link between ports on the east coast of India and ports in the far-east region of Russia was proposed in 2019 and it aims to transport various types of cargo and reduce the transportation time to Russia by 40%. 
  • The INSTC is a multi-modal transportation route established in 2000 in St. Petersburg by Iran, Russia, and India to promote transportation cooperation among member states.
    • The corridor connects the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and then is connected to St. Petersburg and Northern Europe via the Russian Federation.
  • They aim to increase infrastructure capacity and use the potential of the Northern Sea Route.  Both Sides will work together to reduce time and cost of cargo transportation and promote connectivity in the Eurasian space.
• International Cooperation: Russia appreciated India’s non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council (2021-22)  and supported India’s efforts in peacekeeping and counter-terrorism.
  • Russia reiterated its support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
  • India expressed full support for Russia’s  BRICS Chairship in 2024 under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.”
  • Close cooperation in international forums such as the UN ,G20,  BRICS, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)  is emphasised to reinvigorate multilateralism.
  • The Indian side looked forward to Russia’s joining of the International Solar Alliance (ISA),  the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).
• Global Issues: 
  • Climate Change: Commitment to combating climate change and achieving the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)  and the Paris Agreement, including cooperation on  low-carbon development and green financing.
  • Multipolar World Order: Emphasis on the need for a multipolar world order and the development of an architecture of equal and indivisible regional security in the Eurasian space and the Indian and Pacific ocean regions.
  • Counter Terrorism:  The leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism  and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists and terrorism financing networks.
    • The sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation in combating transnational organised crime, money laundering, terrorist financing, and drug trafficking.