EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

Discuss the dimensions of India-Armenia relations.

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.

 







POSTED ON 02-01-2023 BY ADMIN
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