Russia stands by India, as US, China play balancing act

Even as both Beijing and Washington D.C. chose to play a balancing act between Islamabad and New Delhi, Russia has unequivocally endorsed India's stand that its recent move on Jammu and Kashmir was within the framework of the Constitution of India.

Russia is the first Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which unequivocally came out in support of India. “We proceed from fact that the changes associated with the change in the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and its division into two union territories are carried out within the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of India,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian government said in a statement issued in Moscow.

Moscow also expressed hope that “the parties involved” (Islamabad and New Delhi) would “not allow a new aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of the decisions (by Government of India on J&K)”.

The Government of Russian Federation also echoed New Delhi's position that Kashmir issue must be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan without mediation by any third-party and in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

Even as New Delhi has maintained that the decision to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir was an “internal” affair of India, Pakistan has been running a diplomatic campaign against India, accusing it of unilaterally changing the status of the disputed territory.

With the USA relying on Pakistan and its Army for the success of its peace process with Taliban in Afghanistan, Washington echoed Islamabad's stance to express “concern over the detention of political leaders in Kashmir" and called upon New Delhi to respect individual rights.

Beijing, however, strongly opposed New Delhi's moves on J&K, not only to stand by its “all-weather ally” Islamabad, but also because it was irked by Modi Government's reiteration that the two new UTs too would include, not only India's territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan and areas Pakistan had illegally ceded to China in 1963 as well as Aksai Chin – a territory which both India and China lay claim to.

Russia's growing defence ties with Pakistan over the past few years caused unease in India. But Moscow's stand on Modi Government's decisions on J&K brought relief to New Delhi.

“Russia is a consistent supporter of the normalization of relations between India and Pakistan. We hope that the differences between them will be resolved by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999,” the Russian Government said on Friday.