Press Briefings

Briefing by FS and Sec. (East) on President’s visit to Russia and Tajikistan

31/08/2009

Official Spokesperson (Shri Vishnu Prakash): Good afternoon. Foreign Secretary is here to brief you about Rashtrapatiji’s visit to Russia. She is joined by Secretary (East) to her right, Mr. N. Ravi, who would be talking to you about President’s visit to Tajikistan. After their opening remarks Foreign Secretary and Secretary (East), will be happy to take a few questions on President’s visit to Russia and Tajikistan. Let me also take this opportunity of introducing two other colleagues who are present with us. To Secretary (East)’s right is Mr. Divyabh Manchanda, our Additional Secretary (ERS), who is responsible for affairs pertaining to Russia and Tajikistan. To my left is Ms Archana Datta who is the OSD in President’s Secretariat. Thank you.

Madam, the floor is yours.

Foreign Secretary (Mrs. Nirupama Rao): Thank you, Vishnu.

Good afternoon, and it is good to be back in Shastri Bhavan after a number of years and nice to see so many familiar faces.

I am very happy to brief you this afternoon about a very important visit, the state visit by our President to the Russian Federation and Tajikistan which will take place from the 2nd to the 8th September, 2009. This will be the second Presidential visit to the Russian Federation after the visit of the former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in May 2005.

The visit to Tajikistan will be the first ever visit by a President of India to the Central Asian region. The President will be accompanied by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Murli Deora, MoS for Textiles Shrimati Panabaka Lakshmi, Members of Parliament Miss Anusuiya Uikey and Shri Hassan Khan, and a high-level delegation.

Our President had last met President Medvedev during his state visit to India on the 4th and 5th December 2008. Along with our President, President Medvedev participated in the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in India.

In Moscow, our President will be meeting with President Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the Federation Council Mr. Sergey Mironov, and the Speaker of the Duma Mr. Boris Gryzlov. Our President and President Medvedev will participate in a gala concert in Moscow, and together witness an Indian cultural performance. Besides, the President will also meet the Indian community and friends of India at a reception hosted by our Ambassador in Russia, and she will also meet the students and staff of the Indian Embassy School in Moscow.

After her visit to Moscow she will be visiting Saint Petersburg where she will meet the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President to the North West District Mr. Ilya Klebanov, and the Deputy Governor of Saint Petersburg Mr. Alexander Vakhmistrov. She will visit a Russian school which teaches Hindi in Saint Petersburg.

The Year of India in Russia is being celebrated this year. This follows the successful celebration of the Year of Russia in India in 2008. Our relationship with Russia is a partnership based on mutual trust, friendship and all-round cooperation. A declaration on strategic partnership was signed in New Delhi in October 2000 during the then President Putin’s visit to India.

Our relationship is informed by a shared vision and common interest in pursuing peace and stability in the 21st century in our region and in the world. Our wide ranging cooperation in strategic areas such as defence, nuclear energy and space, forms the solid bedrock of our relationship. It is our expectation that the President’s visit will further consolidate the ties of deep and abiding friendship between the two countries and peoples.

Thank you.

Secretary (East) (Shri N. Ravi): Good evening. I would like to brief you about the visit of the President to Tajikistan, which will follow closely on the heels of the one to Russia. The President would be arriving in Tajikistan in Dushanbe on the evening of the 6th and the programme goes on till the evening of the 8th when the President would leave for home.

In Tajikistan, the same accompanying delegation would be there as was just now mentioned by Foreign Secretary. The engagements for the Hon’ble President include a call on President Rahmon of Tajikistan, which would be both at the restricted and at the delegation level. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the Defence Minister of Tajikistan would be calling on Rashtrapatiji.

Hon’ble President will also be having a meeting with the Chairman and Members of the Lower House of the Tajik Parliament. A visit to the Mausoleum of the Sufi Saint Said Hamadoni in a place called Kulyab, which is outside of Dushanbe, is also being planned. The state visit would also provide an opportunity for inaugurating the India-Tajikistan Joint Business Forum which will be jointly addressed by the hon’ble President and President Rahmon.

Our President will also attend the National Day celebrations of Tajikistan as Guest of Honour. This is the first time a foreign dignitary is being accorded this particular honour. The Ambassador of India in Dushanbe would be hosting a reception in honour of the President so that the President is able to meet the Indian community that is resident in and around Dushanbe.

The visit is an opportunity for reaffirming bilateral ties at the highest political level which will also give an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. You may recall that the President of Tajikistan had visited India earlier. He has visited four times I think. His last two visits were in 2001 and 2006. Our then Prime Minister Mr. Vajpayee had visited Tajikistan in 2003. Now our President is visiting Tajikistan in 2009. So, that about gives you the background and the backdrop to the visit of the President.

Thank you.

Question Madam Rao, do you think that President will be talking about nuclear engagement with Russia at this moment?

Foreign Secretary: The visit of our President to Russia will emphasise the substantive nature of our strategic and cooperative partnership for mutual benefit between India and Russia. Ours’ is a multi-dimensional relationship which encompasses several areas of our cooperation. The visit of the President is expected to reinforce our mutual trust and understanding and confidence with Russia on several issues.

Question: It includes nuclear imports?

Foreign Secretary: The bilateral engagement with Russia encompasses a large range of issues, as you are aware.

Question Mrs. Rao, are there any treaties that are planned for being signed while the President is in Russia and in Tajikistan?

Foreign Secretary: Not in Russia. There are no treaties expected to be signed.

Secretary (East): The same goes for Tajikistan also.

Foreign Secretary: But as I said in the answer to the earlier question, this visit will be about enhancing goodwill and trust and mutual confidence.

Question Good afternoon, Madam Rao. Could you give a preliminary estimation of the Year of India in Russia? What kind of events would you highlight as most successful?

Foreign Secretary: First of all let me say that the depth of understanding between India and Russia on cultural issues is very profound. As you are aware, the extent of knowledge and study and research on India in your country, in Russia, is very deep and it goes back more than 150 years. I myself was witness to it while I served in Russia. The Year of Russia in India and the Year of India in Russia are meant to deepen that understanding further. So, as you are aware, not only do we have cultural performances but we have exhibitions, we have seminars, we have the gala performance that I referred to. In a sense I think what we aim to do through these events is not only to project our soft power for Russia in India and India in Russia, but also to tell the world about the nature of the civilisational contact between our countries in many senses. You use the word geostrategic, you use the word geopolitical. I would add geo-civilisational.