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Major General Pawan Anand (Retd) and Director of United Service Institution of India on Thursday highlighted India's balanced approach to its strategic relationships with the US, Russia, and other global powers amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India.
Anand, speaking to ANI, highlighted the significance of President Putin's visit through the lens of global politics. "With regard to President Putin's visit, well, let me first state that we are very happy to have him here in India. It's an annual visit. It's a scheduled visit. And this is something that we've been doing regularly earlier as well. So I think we need to look at it from that perspective, then start putting it into the prisms which others might be putting it into, which would mean that he has come here at a time when there are sanctions on India and on Russia, or there are issues that the International Court of Justice would have against him and so on," he said. Anand noted that India-Russia friendship is a time-tested one, stressing the importance of strengthening India's defence equipment posture, citing the need for Russian support, particularly regarding the S-400 deal. "In this bilateral relationship, which is a strategic one and highly time-tested, I think India has found its balance between the US, Russia, and the other powers that dominate the global geopolitical situation. I think, as far as defence goes, we have to strengthen our defence equipment posture, for which we do require a bolstering from the Russians as well. So hopefully the S-400 deal is which is likely to come through," he said. He also mentioned India's efforts to maintain a similar relationship with the US, underscoring India's strategic autonomy. "Apart from that, we are also looking at maintaining a similar relationship with the US as well. So what India's strategic autonomy speaks of is this. And in due course, once the peace deal comes through, which is an inevitability, it's only the nature of the deal that comes through. Once the peace deal comes through, I think India would find, and so would the Russians and the Americans find, that India is a partner of choice. And therefore, with this as the backdrop, let's look at President Putin's visit to bring in that positive for all sides," he said. Putin, on his first visit to India in 4 years, was given a traditional welcome with a cultural dance at the airport, after which the two leaders departed in the same vehicle. He will be in India from November 4-5. (ANI)
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