As Russia and India prepare to mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next week, Moscow has said its relations with New Delhi were never clouded by any serious differences and have become an unparallel phenomenon in modern world politics.
"It is not quite typical fact for the international practice that our relations with India were never marred by any serious differences, even more by any contradiction," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an article in influential daily Kommersant.
"On the contrary, they (relations) were always distinct by the understanding of the community of the two nations and their people, coincidence of long-term national interests, identical stand on the key international problems," he said.
Lavrov, however, did not mention the cryogenic spat between the two countries when Moscow under the US pressure backtracked on transfer of technology agreement in 1993 for the booster stage of Sire's Geo-stationary space launch vehicles.
The Russian foreign minister in his article published ahead of the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries mentioned various stages in the development of bilateral ties including 'friendly assistance' to India in building first post-independence industrial giants like Bhilai steel plant.
End of the Cold War, fragmentation of the USSR and dramatic developments on the international arena in 1990s were a kind of endurance test for the Russia-India relations, Lavrov said.
"Today, we can assert with confidence that they not only withstood (the test), but convincingly proved that they (bilateral ties) continue to remain one of the most important factors of the world politics," he said.
Stressing that Russia 'cherishes' centuries-long history of friendly links with India and recalled the genuine interest in Ancient Russia which existed in everything linked with India.
"Every Russian from his school days knows the name of Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin, who in 1466-1472 visited India long before the arrival of European travellers. His book
Voyage Beyond Three Seas left interesting description of Indian customs and traditions," Lavrov wrote.
He reviewed the history of bilateral trade links established in 17th century, when Indian traders set up various trading houses in Astrakhan and other Russian towns situated on the banks of Volga.
"Our nations stepped into the XXI century as strategic partners. The experience of 60 years of diplomatic ties evokes confidence that mutually beneficial Russian-Indian cooperation will receive new development for the benefit of our states and peoples, in the interests of peace and stability in the whole world," Lavrov.
