Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said India-Russia ties have deep historical roots from the 1950s, built by successive governments. He stated the Soviet Union was an 'invaluable partner' and the relationship was not built solely by the Modi government.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday said India’s strong ties with Russia have deep historical foundations dating back to the 1950s, asserting that the relationship was built over successive governments and not solely under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
In a post on X, Ramesh called the Soviet Union an “invaluable partner” in India’s development, contributing to key sectors including steel, power, defence, space and nuclear industries. "The Soviet Union had been an invaluable partner in India’s developmental journey that began in the 1950s. It went on to play a crucial role in building our country’s steel, heavy engineering, mining, power, oil and gas, chemical, defence, space and nuclear industries," Ramesh said.
Historical Foundations
He recalled former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s 16-day visit to the Soviet Union in July 1955 and the subsequent 20-day visit of Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev to India in November-December that year. "All this had been made possible by Jawaharlal Nehru’s 16-day visit to the USSR in July 1955 and the return 20-day visit of Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev to India in Nov-Dec 1955," Ramesh said.
Ramesh also highlighted the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, which was signed in New Delhi on August 9, 1971, after more than two years of negotiations. “The Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship & Cooperation, over two years in the making and finally signed in New Delhi on Aug 9, 1971, was of tremendous strategic significance,” he said.
Post-Soviet Revival and Continued Cooperation
Ramesh said that after the break-up of the Soviet Union in December 1991, there was a hiatus in bilateral ties, but the India-Russia relationship was resumed with renewed vigour in 1998 by then Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and subsequently by President Vladimir Putin. "After the break-up of the USSR in Dec 1991, there was a hiatus, but in 1998 the India-Russia bilateral relationship was resumed with renewed vigour by Yevgeny Primakov (former Prime Minister of Russia) and soon thereafter by President Putin himself," he further said.
He also cited the BrahMos missile joint venture as an example of the continuity in India-Russia defence cooperation. "The BrahMos missile joint venture, some seven years in the making, was finalised by him with PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and later vastly expanded under PM Manmohan Singh with complexes being set up in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram," he said.
"The point is simple: whatever the self-advertisement by Mr. Modi, there has been a history of strong ties between India and Russia, the solid foundations of which were laid during the 1950s-1980s," Ramesh added.
The Congress leader also recalled that Putin's predecessor Dmitry Medvedev had visited IIT Bombay on December 22, 2010, adding it was "part of my daily life from 1963 to 1975." "Incidentally, President Putin’s predecessor Dmitry Medvedev had visited IIT Bombay on December 22, 2010, and spent a few minutes seeing a completely forgotten symbol of those foundations that had come up almost half a century earlier," he said. Ramesh also shared a photo of that spot on campus right next to the PC Saxena Lecture Theatre.
Current Context: BRICS Summit
His remarks came as India and Russia continue to strengthen bilateral economic engagement. Earlier in the day, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.
The two sides discussed measures to enhance economic cooperation and agreed to advance negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) to establish a mutually beneficial framework for increasing investment flows and economic engagement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS Summit and is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12-13 under its 2026 BRICS Chairship. (ANI)
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