Russia and India in Central Asia: Review of Foreign Policy Directions and Formation of Joint Approaches

Abstract

The article is devoted to an overview of the foreign policy attitudes of Russia and India in Central Asia, as well as the possibilities and limitations of the formation of joint approaches to solving various problems of sustainable development of the Central Asian mega-region. The article attempts to answer the following questions: – how can one assess the place of Central Asia in bilateral relations between Russia and India?; – does India's policy aimed at strengthening interaction with the countries of Central Asia contradict Russia's national interests?; – how can such associations as the SCO, BRICS, CSTO and EAEU contribute to the development of the Central Asian direction of Russian-Indian relations? The above-mentioned questions were put to 7 employees of research organizations that specialize in various aspects of Indian foreign policy. According to experts, the promising practices initiated by India in relation to the states of Central Asia are inferior to the emerging Chinese-Pakistani connection in the region. If India, entering Central Asia, seeks to represent itself as a Pan-Asian player, then Russia, reformatting its system of interactions with the countries of Central Asia, resolutely secures the status of a Eurasian leader. For India, Central Asia is part of an extended neighborhood, whereas for Russia it is the near abroad, where Moscow is focused on forming the closest possible relations. It is concluded that the presence of India in Central Asia does not contradict Russian interests due to the fact that this presence on the part of India cannot be increased to the critical point when the situation in the mega-region can get out of Moscow's control. At the same time, the common interest of Russia and India in maintaining the regional security architecture, the desire of both states to build trade and economic projects in Central Asia by expanding the region’s transit potential, in combination with the inability of New Delhi to enter into allied relations with Beijing, allow us to speak about the high prospects of the Сentral-Asian vector of Russian-Indian relations.