What are the signs of severing relations between India and Russia?
Despite a deep political and diplomatic partnership for decades, the Indo-Russian relationship is beginning to show early signs of rigor mortis.
Ties are overwhelmingly dependent on the sale and, in recent years, joint production of weapons systems.
The only other area of cooperation that has reflected the “special and privileged” nature of the relationship is nuclear energy.
Beyond this, the trade and investment relationship is virtually non-existent.
Even in natural gas and oil, where flourishing trade should have existed given Russia’s abundant supply and India’s growing demand, very little exists beyond a few notable Indian investments in Russian oil and gas companies and fields.
The deals signed last year, if they come to fruition, could however boost mutual investments in this sector.
How can their relations be sealed again?
One way is for India and Russia to direct their attention towards collaboration in new and emerging technologies.
There are four broad areas where the two countries can join forces.
Quantum Computing - uses subatomic particles for computing instead of standard binary bits, is poised to be the next great technological leap.
It is imperative for India to invest in necessary research and development. There exists some indigenous expertise, but a credible support structure is lacking.
Russia has been making a concerted effort to pioneer quantum computing, primarily through the Russian Quantum Centre.
Significant collaboration in this sector will allow India access to the cutting-edge infrastructure necessary to indigenously develop this technology while providing Russia with ready market access for any quantum technologies it may develop in the future.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics - Indian investments, whether public or private, in this sector have been negligible.
Despite a large talent pool, neither the Indian state nor the private sector has made a concerted effort to take advantage of this sector’s possibilities.
Russia, on the other hand, has made great strides in the militarization of AI and robotics and in allied fields like drone warfare, which could be immensely beneficial for India.
A greater emphasis on AI and robotics will help extend the military relationship into the future.
Cyber security -. India has much to learn from the Russian experience.
The two countries have recently signed an agreement which establishes a high-level dialogue on cyber issues and provides for cooperation, coordination and exchange of information on counter-terrorism.
With India currently establishing a unified cyber agency, closer collaboration with Russia would immensely benefit Indian cyber preparedness.
IT, Software & Big Data - Russia’s highly developed IT infrastructure is facing an increasing shortage of skilled labour.
Indian IT talent is well placed to take advantage of this shortfall. Russia could also be an outlet for Indian IT investment.
Each of the four areas listed above require only the most basic government intervention.
If a credible bilateral trade framework for these sectors can be put in place, there is enough momentum for market forces to drive collaboration.
