Russia and India are a worthy example of long-term friendly and working ties between countries. States have shared interests that intersect in many different areas. Russia is India’s main supplier of military equipment. The commodity circulation of countries among themselves is increasing every year.
Diplomatic ties between Russia and India
In 2017, Russia and India celebrated a significant event - 70 years of maintaining diplomatic relations. Bilateral relations between the countries were established in April 1947 and have since been constantly maintained and strengthened.
The main areas in which states closely interact are: energy, coal industry, military-technical cooperation. In the late nineties, began the joint production of Russian civilian aircraft. Recently, the flow of tourists between countries has also increased; in Russia, interest in Indian culture and traditions has increased.
The friendly relations of states have been developing organically for a very long time. India and Russia are also part of a group of 5 BRICS countries, the goal of which is to jointly overcome the financial and economic crisis and improve the living standards of the population.
In 2015, a joint group was created to develop a mechanism for mutual settlements in rupees and rubles.
Representatives of Russia's interests in India
After the official approval of the establishment of friendly and working relations between Russia and India, only a few months later the issue of opening embassies was decided. The first ambassador to India was sent to Kirill Vasilievich Novikov. He represented the interests of the USSR in this region of Asia from October 1947 to April 1953. Novikov did not support Stalin's policy and spoke out publicly about this, so after his return he did not receive any more significant posts.
During the development and maintenance of relations between countries, the Russian ambassadors to India replaced each other repeatedly. Perhaps the most significant contribution to the development of relations was made by Alexander Mikhailovich Kadakin. He was twice appointed to the post of plenipotentiary ambassador of Russia in the Republic of India.
Ambassador Kadakin
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Alexander Kadakin represented Russia's interests in India from 1999 to 2004, and then was elected again in 2009. He died in January 2017 in Delhi. The cause of death was heart disease. Alexander Mikhailovich died at the age of 68. Concerning the death of Kadakin (Russian ambassador to India), condolences were expressed to the family by the Indian side. Since 1972, his entire diplomatic career has been aimed at strengthening Russian-Indian relations.
Kadakin - Ambassador of Russia to India, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was fluent in several languages: Hindi, Urdu, English and French.
He is the author of several books, many articles in various publications, he translated from Hindi and English. In 2004, he was awarded the title of Honored Worker of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Federation.
Alexander Kadakin was vice president of the Roerichs International Memorial Trust, which was created by S.N. Roerich in Kullu. He was an active participant in the Roerich movement and tried to preserve his legacy.
In July 2017, a memorial plaque was opened in the capital of India, Delhi, in memory of after Alexander Kadakin on the street, which was named after him. A solemn ceremony was held on his birthday. Earlier, on June 1, 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the name of Ambassador Kadakin would be assigned to one of the streets in the center of Delhi, near the Russian embassy. Thus, India underlines the invaluable contribution that Kadakin made to the development and strengthening of ties between the countries.
The new representative of Russia's interests in India
After Kadakin, Chargé d'Affaires Anatoly Kargapolov was interim.
In August 2017, Nikolay Kudashev was approved as the new plenipotentiary ambassador in India. The decree on the appointment was signed by the President of the Russian Federation - Vladimir Putin.
The new Ambassador of Russia to India, Kudashev, is a specialist in Southeast Asia and has experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1981. In March 2015, he became Deputy Director of the General Secretariat of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was involved in organizational and administrative matters.
Earlier, in 2010, Kudashev was Russia's ambassador to the Philippines. However, he also had experience interacting with India. In the history of his career, from 1999 to 2005, Kudashev was an adviser-envoy to the Russian Embassy in India.