REWIND
New Delhi, 31 March 2022
MOSCOW AND DELHI
CLOSER THAN EVER
By Inder Jit
(Released on 29
November 1988)
Indo-Soviet relations have been greatly
strengthened by the three-day visit of Mr.Mikhail Gorbachev to New Delhi --- his
first abroad visit on taking over as the President of the Soviet Presidium.
Some cynics and others sharply disagree with this assessment. They see the
visit as lacking “genuine warmth and spontaneity” on the part of the Soviet
leader. They also view it as being intended mainly to serve notice on New Delhi
of its new emerging relationship with the US and, importantly, with China. Further,
they see it as a precursor of a shift in the Soviet policy towards India. The
truth, however, is otherwise. The visit was proved to be more successful than
expected. Mr.Gorbachev and Mr.Rajiv Gandhi have further enlarged their rapport,
first struck during the latter’s visit to the Soviet capital in 1985.
Understanding between the top leaders of the two countries is not new. It goes
back to the days of Nehru and Khruschev and thereafter to Indira Gandhi and
Brezhnev. But, according to knowledgeable observers, the rapport now
established is qualitatively different. It has grown greatly and become more
meaningful.
Not a little credit for this goes to the
success of Mr. Gorbachev’s last visit to New Delhi two years ago and the deep
satisfaction stemming frommuch that has since come to pass. The two leaders
then signed the Delhi Declaration embodying the basic tenets of survival and
progress in the nuclear and space age. These principles have generated an
increasingly wide response all over the world and shown that given the
political will a new concept of a safer and more just world can acquire
universal acceptance. Indeed, what has been described as the “timeliness and
vitality of the “Delhi Declaration” has been demonstrated by the signing of the
INF Treaty,the Geneva Accords on Afghanistan,the cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq
war and the positive moves for a settlement of conflicts in South-East Asia and
the South-West Africa. The recent visit of the Soviet leader has shown a
refreshing identity of views between the two countries on the elimination of
nuclear arms and other international issues. This should give a new confidence
to the people all over the world striving for peace, independence and democracy
--- and a new international economic order.
Equally important bilaterally was the
reaffirmation by Mr.Gorbachev of his country’s commitment to its “fundamental policy
of strong friendship and cooperation with India”. Within hours of his arrival
in New Delhi, he scotched speculative reports in a section of the Western,
Japanese and Indian Press that the Soviet Union was changing its priorities and
“even becoming cool towards India”. Speaking at the banquet hosted by the
President of India, the Soviet leader asserted: “I shall not dignify with an
answer to such totally groundless and obviously speculative assertions.” In
fact, Mr. Gorbachev did not stop there in his determined bid to set at rest all
doubts in the matter --- doubts mainly stimulated, according to Mr.T.N. Kaul,
India’s popular Ambassador to the Soviet Union,by the Soviet leader’s decision
not to give an interview to Doordarshan on the eve of his visit or to hold a
Press Conference at the end of his talks. He and his colleagues affirmed
repeatedly Moscow’s abiding interest in strengthening his friendship with India
as also his wish to spend the maximum time with Mr. Gandhi. Eventually, the two
leaders exchanged views for well over nine hours.
Mr.Gorbachev’s basic approach towards India
was eloquently reflected, for instance, at the top-level meeting held on
economic cooperation. At one stage, the Soviet President interrupted his
colleague, Mr.Vladimir Kamentsev, Deputy Prime Minister, to ask in so many
words: “Comrade, before you proceed with your review, could you please tell me:
What is the level of trade between us and Rumania, between us and Hungary and
between us and Poland”? Mr. Kamentsev replied: “It is 40 billion Roubles with
one, some 50 billion Roubles with the second and some 60 billion rubles with
Poland.” Mr. Gorbachev next asked: “What is the level of trade with India and
what is the future target?” When Mr. Kamentsev replied: “Three billion Roubles
presently which we hope to double by the year 2000”, Mr. Gorbachev queried:
“Are you satisfied? India and the Soviet Union are supposed to be good and
great friends. Look at the population of our two countries in comparison with
those of Poland, Hungary and Rumania” Should we be satisfied with just three
billion Roubles and a target of six billion Roubles?”
Interestingly, Mr.Gorbachev went on:
“Sometimes I feel we should abolish our Commerce Ministry to get things
moving.” He then looked at Mr. Gandhi who, I am told, good-humouredly quipped.
“Mr. President, before we wind up our Commerce Ministry, let us see what our
Commerce Minister,Mr. Dinesh Singh has to say?” Mr.Dinesh Singh, thereupon told
Mr.Gorbachev that India had gone ahead and done its bit in enlarging the area
of economic cooperation as decided at the 1986 summit. Some 65 proposals for
joint collaboration had been processed and sent to Moscow two years ago. But
only eleven had been cleared by Moscow, leaving a balance of 54. Mr. Dinesh
Singh also pointed out the difficulties faced by Indian industrialists and
businessmen in getting visas, hotel accommodation etc and appointment for
pursing the proposals. However, before he could say more, Mr. Gorbachev
intervened to ask: “Mr. Minister, you have not answered my specific question?
Are you satisfied with the present level of trade?” When Mr. Dinesh Singh
replied that no Commerce Minister could ever be happy enough, Mr. Gorbachev
replied: “Please don’t give me a philosophical answer.Give me a political
answer. Are you friends satisfied…?”
The Soviet leader thereupon said in so many
words: “Every country nowadays wants more and more economic cooperation. Take
Brazil. Take China. We must move ahead even though bureaucracies invariably create
problems… We must restructure…” he then reportedly gave an example of how this
might be achieved on the basis of his talk with Mr. Ram Niwas Mirdha, Minister
of Textiles. Said he: “I have been talking to Mr. Mirdha. He tells me that some
parties in India have imported textile machinery from the Soviet Union and are
exporting textiles back to our country. Why can’t we,for instance, have more
people doing the same? There is great scope…” Mr. Gandhi soon agreedwith the
views and sentiments voiced by Mr. Gorbachev and said: “Perhaps we should set
up a group to go into the matter, eliminate delays and hurdles and chart out
new directions…” Mr. Gorbachev agreed. The discussion concluded on what was
later described as a heart-warming and elevating note. Echoing a once famous
remark by Nehru, Mr.Gorbachev said: “We must think big, to act big!”
Also reflective of Mr. Gorbachev’s basic
approach of strengthening friendly ties was his response to strong feelings
expressed by New Delhi against racismpractised by Col Rabuka against Indians in
Fiji, which once advertised itself as “a paradise on earth”. In April 1987, Col
Rabuka brought about a military coup aimed against the Indians, who constitute
49 per cent of Fiji’s population, claiming to prevent them from exercising
their majority to change the Constitution and allegedly exploit the natives,
who total 43 percent, further by removing the land-owning rights guaranteed to
the natives. (The Indians have no such guaranteed rights.) Indians have been
harassed ever since.Most of the talented and wealthy among them have been
forced to flee the island. Unnoticed by most observers, the Gorbachev-Gandhi
summit statement opens the para on racialism with the following sentence at New
Delhi’s instance: “The Soviet Union and India strongly condemn racialismin all
its forms wherever it may occur… In this context, they recall that the UN
Charter envisages a number of measures, including the imposition of comprehensive
and mandatory sanctions for dismantling racismand apartheid.”
Much has been made by someof the reference by
Mr. Gorbachev to China in his speech after receiving the Indira Gandhi Award. The
Soviet leader, it may be recalled, made two points. First, that good relations
between the Soviet Union, India and China “are extremely important for the
destinies of Asia and for global progress.” Second, that the Soviet Union was
“pleased to see signs of improvement in Indo-Chinese relations.” Further, that
the Soviet Union’s own relations with China were “also evolving in an encouraging
way”. Even some CPM MPs have taken exception to the reference. Said one: “Where
was the need to talk about China in New Delhi?” But the objection is not valid.
The two leaders, after all, exchanged thoughts on the proposed Sino-Indian and
Sino-Soviet summits. There was thus nothing wrong on Mr. Gorbachev’s part to
refer to them in one of his speeches. Appropriately, reference to China was
avoided in the summit statement, essentially bilateral. Incidentally, Mr.
Gorbachev expressed himself in favour of good relations between the three
countries at his Press Conference in New Delhi in November 1985 also!
Both India and the Soviet Union now exude
greater confidence and trust in each other’s friendship. Indeed, this inspired
Mr.Rajiv Gandhi to tell the Rajya Sabha on Monday last week that China was
“unimportant” in Indo-Soviet relations. Of course, China is important not only
for India and the Soviet Union but for the entire world. But the
PrimeMinister’s remark was only intended to convey one basic fact: Indo-Soviet
closeness and friendship is not going to be influenced adversely by any new relationship
that either country forges with China. Significantly, India and the Soviet
Union have reaffirmed their faith and commitment to Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace
and Friendship.Mr.Gorbachev, moreover, conveyed meaningful felicitations from
the people of the Soviet Union to the people of India “for strengthening the
unity of India and the inviolability of its frontiers” at the magnificent
closing of the Soviet festival. All in all, the Gorbachev visit has brought
Moscow and New Delhi closer to each other than ever before --- and raised their
friendship to a new, higher plane. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
news & Feature Alliance)
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