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India Firm on Strategic Autonomy as s New Cold War Looms

April 2, 2018
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Even as a new Cold War seems imminent India has defied Washington's diktat and categorically refused to expel Russian diplomats to express solidarity with the West and has stood by its time-tested strategic partner Russia amid media and academia speculations of New Delhi jumping on the US bandwagon.

"We don't take cue from any bloc. We have an independent foreign policy which is guided by the principle: India's interest are paramount," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajon March 29 declared in Tokyo responding to a question about India's possible steps as Moscow mirrored the Western action and expelled 150 diplomats, including 60 US and closed American Consulate in St. Petersburg.

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PTI / newindianexpress.com

In Tokyo Ms Swaraj for the first time made public that earlier Washington had pressured India to close its embassy in DPRK to which New Delhi had responded: "The channels of communications should remain open."

Her remarks were echoed by India's former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal , who has also served as the country's Ambassador in Moscow who said: "The West would do well to remember that it cannot escape engaging Russia — a formidable nuclear power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and Europe’s crucial energy partner."

The "outrage" over alleged poisoning of the ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia is seen by the keen Kremlinwatchers as the continuation of the West's policy of demonising Russia and its popular leader Vladimir Putin, who scored a landslide victory in March 18 presidential polls.

"But the British have so far produced no proof that the Russians are officially or unofficially responsible for this manifestly outrageous act. They are proceeding on the assumption that Russia has to be the villain, which is a political position, not one based on verifiable facts," according to former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal. He also pointed that "whatever the truth behind the Skripal affair, Russia-baiting has become a prime feature of US and European foreign policy for various reasons".

Known for his proximity with the core foreign policy planners of the Modi government, Mr Kanwal Sibal wrote in his article published by The Wire news portal: "For India, the free-fall in US/Europe relations with Russia is doubly negative, in that not only China’s ambitions are being served with Russia becoming more dependent on China, but also because of the pressure it puts on us to maintain a dynamic balance between our very valuable ties with Russia and our closerunderstandings with the West."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who during his tenure has managed to curb the slide in bilateral relations with Russia, which started in the era of previous government of Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. Being a staunch Indian nationalist, Mr Modi aspires for a leading role in the emerging multipolar world order in which India's relations with Russia will further strengthen enduring the stress test ofthe ongoing US-Russia stand-off.

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