To call the parliament: the leadership of the State Duma is expected in India
Several visits by the leadership of the Russian State Duma to India are being prepared in the coming months, the lower house of the republic's parliament told Izvestia. The State Duma Committee on International Affairs does not rule out such plans. So far, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin is expecting his counterpart Om Birla in Russia on a return visit. It is expected that a meeting of the interparliamentary commission will be held after that. The last one officially took place back in 2018. Vladimir Putin's expected visit this year will also give impetus to Russian-Indian relations, and before that, Sergey Lavrov will fly to India.
Dialogue between Russia and India
Visits of the State Duma leadership to India are being prepared in the coming months, the parliament of the South Asian country told Izvestia.
— Now the Russian parliament has invited our speaker to visit Russia, but I do not know if there is a positive response. And then, perhaps, within a few months, one or two high-ranking officials from parliament may visit India. This has not been confirmed yet, but is under review. This may be the deputy or first deputy speaker of the State Duma," the Indian parliament said.
So far, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin is expecting his counterpart Om Birla to pay a return visit to Russia. The Speaker of the State Duma extended an invitation to his colleague during a trip to India in February. There, Volodin stated the need to step up the work of the joint interparliamentary commission and called for the creation of a whole legislative framework for a more dynamic development of relations between the two countries.
Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the People's Chamber of the Parliament of India Om Birla before the meeting in New Delhi. February 3, 2025
— My colleagues and I exchanged opinions on the need to meet even more often, even more, although these meetings are already held on a regular basis. Therefore, I think that the plans of the leadership of the State Duma include a visit to India. Just like we invite them to join us," Alexei Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia.
Interestingly, the last official visit of the State Duma delegation headed by the chairman to India took place back in December 2018. Then Volodin and Speaker of the People's Chamber of the Parliament of India Sumitra Mahajan held the fifth meeting of the Russian-Indian interparliamentary commission.
— I think that, of course, plans will be discussed for the participation of a large group of deputies as members of the Interparliamentary Commission of Russia and India to discuss the most promising issues of developing cooperation in all areas. And I was part of such a delegation in India," Gennady Sklyar, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, told Izvestia.
The MP admitted that a new meeting of the IPC will be held after Om Birla's arrival in Russia.: "This will probably happen after the visit of the Speaker of the People's Chamber of the Indian Parliament."
On May 23, Andrei Denisov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, met with an Indian delegation led by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, a member of the People's Chamber of Parliament. It is noteworthy that this group includes deputies from all political parties of the republic. The sides paid special attention to issues of regional security and the fight against terrorism. These topics have become particularly relevant after the attack in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 27 civilians.
— This visit testifies to the renewal of parliamentary diplomacy, when elected representatives, not just diplomats or representatives of defense structures, establish a dialogue. Russia and India have deep and time-tested relations. Cybersecurity and counterterrorism mechanisms are promising areas for cooperation. It is important to work together on hybrid threats, including disinformation and proxy wars," Rakesh Bhadauria, Deputy Director General of the Center for the Study of Ground Combat Operations in New Delhi, tells Izvestia.
In addition, Andrey Denisov just called on his Indian colleagues to resume the activities of the IPC. According to Gennady Sklyar, the use of nuclear technologies in the energy, medicine and agricultural sectors under the auspices of Rosatom may become key areas for discussion. The development of the North–South transport corridor is also extremely important for both countries — the Indian port in Mumbai remains the most important point of this transport corridor.
How are relations between Moscow and New Delhi developing?
Of course, a personal meeting of the leaders of the two countries will give the most powerful impetus to cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi. Recently, Vladimir Putin accepted Narendra Modi's invitation. The Russian president's trip to India is scheduled to take place in 2025, but there are no specific dates yet. "The invitation has been received. When we agree on the dates, the visit will begin to be worked out," said Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. As Izvestia found out, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will travel to India first.
A meeting between Putin and Modi could have taken place quite recently — the Indian prime minister, along with the leaders of China and Brazil, was also invited to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow. However, Modi could not come because of the tension between India and Pakistan after the terrorist attack - New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting the extremists who carried out the attack. At the same time, the Indian politician, of course, congratulated the Russian leader and the people on the anniversary.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech in Parliament
In less than a year, Modi visited Russia twice: in July for talks with Putin and in October to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan. In addition, Russia and India coordinate their positions on a variety of international platforms, such as the UN, the G20 or the SCO.
India definitely remains one of Russia's key partners in Asia. Deeper interaction is reflected in specific figures. Over the past five years, the two countries have managed to increase mutual trade turnover fivefold. And the trend continues: by the end of 2024, it has already increased by 9-12%, exceeding a record $70 billion. Both Russian exports and imports from India increased. Russia still firmly holds the fourth position among India's largest trading partners. Only the USA, China and the UAE are ahead. At the same time, there is every chance of entering the top three — during the talks in July, Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin set an ambitious but quite feasible goal to increase trade to $100 billion by 2030. By the way, as Indian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Vinay Kumar emphasized in an interview with Izvestia, as the volume of mutual trade grows strongly, this goal can always be reconsidered. New Delhi, in turn, is ready to increase purchases of Russian oil and LNG, if necessary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the meeting ceremony of the heads of delegations of the BRICS countries within the framework of the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan. October 22, 2024
Russia is striving to increase the volume of balanced trade with India, and not just one direction. The country is particularly interested in Indian equipment, textiles, pharmaceuticals and chemical products, Vladimir Ilyichev, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Energy, recently noted. An updated agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments may provide an additional impetus for increasing and diversifying trade. And, of course, the future free trade agreement between India and the EAEU promises to be a powerful driver of growth. "The negotiators have already held preliminary talks and discussed the terms of reference. The goal has been set: we want to conclude a serious free trade agreement and discuss the provision of relevant services with the EAEU member states," Vinay Kumar said in an interview.
The Su-30MKI multirole fighter jet, presented at the 14th International Aerospace Exhibition Aero India 2023 at the Yelahanka Airbase in Bangalore
Military-technical cooperation remains one of the most important aspects of relations between Russia and India. According to SIPRI, Russia's share of supplies to the Indian army, although it decreased from 45% in 2022, was still a very significant 36% last year. Moreover, the share of large Russian or Soviet weapons, according to various estimates, reaches 85% altogether. Recently, relations in this sector have even deepened. Russia and India are engaged in the joint development of defense products. For example, the supersonic BraMos anti-ship missile has once again proved its effectiveness during the Indian-Pakistani escalation. By the way, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov is also going to India to discuss military and military-technical cooperation.
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