India needs to strengthen its existing bilateral relations with all the Arctic countries and continue to re-emphasize its call for peaceful resolution of Arctic disputes.
The impending removal of the piracy High Risk Area off the coast of Somalia presents an ideal opportunity for India, in partnership with the wider Indo-Pacific maritime community, to delegitimise China’s naval presence and strengthen regional mechanisms for ensuring maritime security.
Russia’s new maritime doctrine, the first policy document in Russia’s national security domain since the Ukraine conflict, reveals a bolder and more assertive Russia, and presents several opportunities for cooperation with India.
The India-Russia partnership is longstanding and time-tested, one of steadiest of the major relationships in the world. Although the relations between the two countries have remained exceptionally warm and cordial, their full potential has not been realised.
The exit of Western oil companies from energy projects in the Russian Far East provides opportunities for India to enhance its stakes in these projects.
There are five fundamental deficiencies in India’s maritime security mechanism that will need to be addressed by the newly appointed National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC), to prevent a recurrence of a 26/11 scenario.
Ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific region is key security imperative and one of the key objectives of India’s engagement with the US and other partners.
India’s Arctic Policy can be seen as the first step towards developing a whole-of-government approach on India’s engagement with the region. The policy seems to be inclusive and participative wherein India offers its readiness to “play its part and contribute to the global good”.
Outlining Pakistan’s vision and global engagement in the context of strategic and security trends, the recently released National Security Policy of Pakistan also acknowledges a serious need for a robust water management mechanism and an inclusive climate change policy.
India–Russia Energy Cooperation in Russian Far East
The exit of Western oil companies from energy projects in the Russian Far East provides opportunities for India to enhance its stakes in these projects.