BUILDING BRIDGES

India has accepted a greater global role for Russia and Russia has in turn continuously recognized India's dominance in South Asia by supporting India as a surging Asian and global power.

- Preethi Amaresh

India and Russia’s historic strategic partnership has managed to stand the test of time in a world of instability and security issues. At the heart of India’s foreign policy of “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” (Panchsheel), relations between the two nations have advanced the establishment of a peaceful, predictable, and stable multipolar world order. There is a small yet vibrant Indian diaspora residing in major cities of Russia such as Moscow, Sochi, Kazan, and St-Petersburg, which have been greatly proactive in engaging with its government and the Russian public in boosting its ties with India. The Indian diaspora has, over time, become an important element for leveraging and showcasing India’s soft power. Presently, soft power ties between India and Russia are most visible in education, tourism, culture, the collective approach to multilateral organizations, and people-to-people exchanges. The Indian embassy in Moscow, ICCR, MEA and Joint Working Group on Culture have taken several initiatives to spread soft power in Russian fields. Russia also has a strong tradition of Indology studies in several Indian languages, which are being taught in Russian universities. Also, Russians are very fond of Indian traditions, spices and food, family values, and cultural traditions fields. such as tolerance, religion, and language diversity, Russians who came to India in medieval times described the country as a “fairyland” consisting of wise sages and extraordinary wealth fields. Likewise, between the 12thand 13th centuries, one of the first Russian books on India was published, known as “The Story of India, the Rich” fields.