Armenia and India celebrated 30 years of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2022.

Historical Ties

• Armenia and India maintain active political ties.Effective cooperation exists between the two nations within international bodies.
• After Armenia’s independence in 1991, Armenian-Indian relations were reestablished.
• Diplomatic relations were established between the Republic of Armenia and India in 1992.
• In 1999, the Indian Embassy in Yerevan began operations.
• If the Armenian-Indian political relations can be evaluated as “excellent”, Armenia is the only Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country with which India had diplomatic relations in 1995 (other than Russia).
  • The CIS was founded in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  • At present the CIS unites: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
• India and Armenia signed a Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation in 1995.
• But the trade and economic cooperation between the two countries cannot be deemed adequate.

Areas of Cooperation

• Defence Relations:
  • Armenia had already shown interest in Indian military hardware before the 2020 war.
  • In 2020, Armenia signed a USD 40 million arms deal with India for the supply of four SWATHI radars to detect the location of weapons.
  • In October 2022, India signed an agreement with Armenia to export missiles, rockets & ammunition.
    • The missiles will also include Indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket
    • India may also export its Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM)to Armenia.
  • Supply Chain and Economy:
    • In the contest over global supply chains, Armenia provides a potential outpost for New Delhi in the Eurasian corridorwhich extends from the Persian Gulf to Russia and Europe.
    • Armenia can also prove a worthy developmental partner to India in domains such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and technology.
    • The collaboration can provide an outstanding substitute for the debt-fuelled Chinese Belt and Road Initiative
    • Finally, itgoes without saying that Armenia growing purchases of Indian defence hardware would provide an impetus to both public and private sector defence manufacturing in India.

Significance of Armenia for India

• Countering Pan-Turkism:
  • Turkey’s imperial ambition of establishing a pan-Turkic empire,administered from Ankara, is identifiable in the present-day Caucasus and other parts of Eurasia.
  • Theracist doctrine envisions an empire comprising all nations and regions that speak a Turkic-type language, disregarding the extent of difference between those languages and that spoken in Turkey as well as the approval of the regions’ respective populaces.
  • With recent exports of military hardware to Armenia, New Delhi has openly positioned itself on Armenian side in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflictand has therefore chosen to counter Azerbaijan and its supporters including Turkey and Pakistan as well as Ankara’s expansionist pan-Turkic ambitions.
• Geo-Strategic Benefits:
  • As an ally of Azerbaijan, Pakistan has been supplying men and military hardware to assist the formerin its conflicts.
  • Azerbaijan has returned the favour by offering geopolitical, geoeconomic, and geostrategic benefits to its partners in Islamabad.
  • Azerbaijan''s success in Armenia would significantly energize Pakistan, with perilous consequences.
  • The purpose of seizing Armenian territory forcibly is to gain unhindered access to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and the entire Turkic-oriented axis of nations, up to China.
    • Munitions and military hardware could utilise this route to arrive at the doorstep of Kashmir.
  • To prevent this, New Delhi can utilize its military skills and capabilities to assist Armeniain securing itself against Azerbaijan''s energy-funded superior military strength.
• Economic Cooperation:
  • Armenia can play an important role in the Indian-backed International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)and the Iranian-backed Black Sea-Persian Gulf Transport Corridor.

Looking ahead

• Armenian-Indian cooperation can become an integral part of broader contacts for Armenia with developed democracies. For these ends,high-quality and subtle diplomacy is imperative.
• The structure of international relations are also changing, creating both potential threats and opportunities.
• In these shifting global relations, Armenia requires a deep diversification of foreign relations.
• The countries of the Global West may become the most auspicious directions.
• By sharing common values,Armenia and the Community of States will be able to work closely together.
  • It is the exact area of cooperation that will ensure the active implementation of the modernization theory, institutionalization, and, possibly, strengthen national defense.