New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar refused to be drawn into any controversy after a journalist asked him about relations with Moscow when Russia was turning into a vassal of China.
The minister deftly sidestepped by saying the difference between his profession and that of the journalist was that the latter’s descriptions were intended to provoke him.
“I think the difference between my profession and yours is that your descriptions are intended to provoke me into departing …” Jaishankar said, as the journalist interrupted him. The exchange, which happened at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, drew laughter from the audience.
The EAM was being quizzed on India’s continued defence purchases from Russia and concerns over Moscow’s growing dependence on Beijing following the war with Ukraine.
Jaishankar questioned the figure and dismissed the suggestion when asked whether he was worried that nearly 40% of India’s arms purchases came from Russia and could involve Chinese technology,
“I am not sure about the 40% figure. And I’ve never even encountered a whiff of that suggestion that anything we’re procuring from Russia comes with Chinese technology,” he said.
While acknowledging that Russia’s relationship with China had changed, he argued that Moscow’s growing tilt towards Beijing was largely a consequence of its deteriorating ties with Europe.
“I’m not disputing that … what we see clearly is a pretty much broken relationship between Russia and Europe,” he said, amid Moscow’s growing ties with Beijing.
Jaishankar pointed to how Russia had historically considered itself a European country and valued its relationships with both Europe and US. However, the consequences of the Ukraine war had pushed Moscow to look increasingly towards Asia, with China emerging as a major destination, he said.
“The result of what has happened due to Ukraine that Russia has turned much more towards Asia. And in Asia, much of that is towards China,” the minister said.
“I believe it’s in India’s and world’s interest that Russia has multiple choices … we’re a natural option in that regard,” he said.
He pointed to India’s longstanding relationship with Moscow despite political and geopolitical upheavals.
“We’ve had very decent ties with Russia since the 1950s. For all the ups and downs that took place in the Soviet Union, those relationships have stayed steady,” he said.
India was continuing to maintain its engagement with Russia while assuring Moscow that their longstanding relationship remained important despite changes in the global geopolitical landscape, Jaishankar said.
“We’re maintaining our ties with Russia. We’re assuring Moscow that while we understand that the world has changed … something which has been built up over the last seven or eight decades remains steady,” he said.