Would India give Russia a naval base in the Indian Ocean?

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Russians are planning a naval base expansion in Libya,Syria and Yemen this will give Russia access to the Mediteraneean Sea but how about if Russia wanted naval base in Indian Ocean? what would India do? what would USA do with Diego Garcia closeby?Is this a possibility? what are members opinions?
 

Vladimir79

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What would we do with a naval base in India? We do not want to stick our hands in Indian pot.
 

tarunraju

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An RN base in southern A&N or TN would perfectly fit their needs. In fact India should offer two bases on either coast-lines.
 
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Vladimir it is an important trade route one simple answer would be when Russian oil exports pick up it may come in handy?
 

marcos

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That will be enough to infuriate the Americans. But it will be helpful for india in a great manner. Indian Navy will get more opportunity to rub shoulder with the Russians and presence of Russians in Indian ocean will permanently seal China's dream to venture in Indian Ocean.
 

Vladimir79

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What Russia needs is a land corridor to India so we can conduct direct trade.
 

StealthSniper

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I think Russia should partner with India and create a base in the southern part of India, for both Russian and Indian ships, or have a base at Andaman Nicobar Island. If USA has a base at Diego Garcia to cover the Indian Ocean then Russia also could have a base that they can use for a variety of reasons.
 
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That will be enough to infuriate the Americans. But it will be helpful for india in a great manner. Indian Navy will get more opportunity to rub shoulder with the Russians and presence of Russians in Indian ocean will permanently seal China's dream to venture in Indian Ocean.
Why Gwadar port given to China didn't infuriate them they still tripled pakistans' aid?
 
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What would we do with a naval base in India? We do not want to stick our hands in Indian pot.
Vladimir Russia is a superpower and if other powers like USA and China are interested in the Indian Ocean why shouldn't our long time ally be there first??
 

tarunraju

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As you can see, the only hurdle is Pakistan. Once we've reached Kazakhstan, we're home-free to Russia.

 

marcos

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What would we do with a naval base in India? We do not want to stick our hands in Indian pot.
This report is little old ,dated back to 2002....

India, Iran, Russia map out trade route
By Sudha Ramachandran

BANGALORE - The recent North-South Corridor Agreement that provides for a new India-Iran-Russia transport link could transform the face of trade in the region. However, several hurdles stand in the way of this sea and land corridor evolving into a bustling "southern Silk Route".

The corridor connects Mumbai with St Petersburg via Tehran and Moscow. In effect, it links the Indian Ocean with the Baltic Sea. Linking the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai with the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas by maritime transport, the North-South corridor will then rely on road and rail networks to connect Bandar Abbas with the Caspian Sea ports of Bandar Anzali and Bandar Amirabad, via Tehran. From here, cargo will be carried across the Caspian Sea to the Russian port of Astrakhan. Then a long stretch of road and rail will run up to St Petersburg, the Russian port on the Baltic Sea, through Volvograd and Moscow.

The corridor is much more than a link connecting just Mumbai, Tehran and Moscow. It provides Europe access to Asia and vice versa. The Russian network of roads and railroads are connected to Central and Western Europe via Eastern Europe. Iran has land links to Central Asia and its ports offer warm-water sea routes to India. "With India, Myanmar and Thailand getting linked by road, the potential of the North-South corridor is endless. The corridor could evolve towards boosting trade between Europe and Southeast Asia," says an official in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

This new initiative is expected to reduce transit time and the cost of transportation of goods. Compared with the 16,129-kilometer route through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea that is currently used, the North-South Corridor is just 6,245km long. It will cut transport time by at least 10-12 days and transport costs by about 15-20 percent.

"During trial operations that have been on for a year now, the route has already logged shipment of some 1,800 containers and the figure is expected to touch the 8,000 mark later this year. The corridor is expected to handle 15 million to 20 million tons of freight annually, with the trade turnover pegged at US$10 billion," writes Shishir Gupta in the weekly news magazine India Today.

"A cut in transport costs will make Indian goods cheaper and therefore more competitive in European markets," says the CII official. "The corridor will not only boost India's trade with Russia and Iran but also that with the Baltic states and the Central Asian countries," he adds.

Indian officials and entrepreneurs have been looking to explore the immense possibilities that lie with increased interaction with the Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. Most of these countries have enormous oil and natural-gas deposits. India, which has so far been over-dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf states, is keen to tap into the Central Asian energy reserves. There is a market, too, in this region for Indian heavy machinery, pharmaceuticals and tea, to name just a few.

However, the potential for Indian-Central Asian trade has been hamstrung by the India-Pakistan rivalry. The shortest route from India to the Central Asian republics is through Pakistan and Afghanistan, but New Delhi cannot use this route given its troubled relations with Islamabad. The North-South Corridor holds out new hope for India for it "will enable India to bypass Pakistan and yet reach out to Central Asia", says an official in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. "We do not have to wait for India-Pakistan relations to normalize to tap into Central Asia," he points out.

However, the route to booming trade and economic development is not without obstacles. Analysts are drawing attention to the fact that the potential of the transport corridor will be determined by the funds available to upgrade their rail and road networks and other related infrastructure. "None of the signatories to the North-South Corridor Agreement - Russia, Iran and India - have that kind of money," warns the CII official.

There is also the security issue. The North-South corridor runs through the politically unstable Caucasus region. Few will be willing to send cargo through conflict-ridden Chechnya or Daghestan. Besides, many Western countries, given their hatred for Tehran, will be reluctant to opt for a route that runs through Iran. However, neither is the political situation in the Middle East stable, yet shipping companies go for the Suez route because it makes economic sense.

It will take some years for shipping companies to take the risk of putting their cargo through an unexplored passage. The lure of Central Asia, to which the Suez route does not provide access, just might tilt the transport route game some day in the North-South Corridor's favor.


Sir, oweing to the hostality between India and Pakistan, Presence of China in Gwadar (very near to the Iranian Port), hostality of West to Iran- these three factors necessiate Russian presence in Indian Ocean, atleast in Arabian sea.
 
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It would give Russia access to 2 continents,Asia and Africa and Middle East. It would give Russia access to Arabian sea, Indian ocean, Andaman Sea as well as the straits of malacca. An Ideal location could also be in the lakswadeep Islands? to access all these points. This access is not currently available to Russia. Also some agreement could be reached with Iran and India over Chabahar port in Iran.
 

bhramos

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first point.
give berths in IN ports for RuN ships patrolling somalli coasts .
second point.
already Russia has idea for opening a base in Yamen, which comes under the Abrabian sea and some part of Indian Ocean.
third point.
if any of the above two points happen , give a membership to Russia in IOR summit, which the leader is India itself,
i heard from some time now that China is seeking membership too. so dont allow it to happen,
 

ppgj

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india is very sensitive to allowing that. remember the noises when americans wanted refuelling of their a/c's not so long ago. also india is coming up big as a military power and would like to be the sole regional power. india has also by its foreign policy chartered "no alliance" policy and has been fairly independant to the extent possible. by allowing a base, they would be accused of that and will have to face US music which does not make sense.
russia on the other hand, post the fall of SU, has been trying to build up its economy and pull itself back onto the big stage. they have been cutting quantity in their armed forces in favour of quality. why would they want open a base in IOR adding to the cost. they are happy to wield their power in their region. besides with india's sensitivities, it does not make any sense.
even if it were to happen it won't be in a long time.
 

bhramos

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hi man i said same ,
but in different way asked to support RuN ships patroling the Somalian pirates,
anyway they were quick to open the Yamen base then base in India.
but only reffered to give an IOR membership in case they opened an Yamen Naval base.
 

Flint

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What Russia needs is a land corridor to India so we can conduct direct trade.
That would be theoretically possible had India retained the Karakoram range in POK (now called "Northern Areas" in Pakistan, recently given statehood).
 

Vladimir79

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What Russia doesn't want to do is mess with the sovereignty of strategically important countries like India. We already have a base in Ukraine and the politics that goes on their is a joke thanks to US puppet Yushchenko. For example, we pay lease rent for all the facilities on Crimea and when we go to use the navigation lighthouse on one of the islands we are said as "invading Ukrainian land." When we go to war to protect Russian citizens from genocide the Black Fleet is told by Ukraine that we can't dock in a state of war. It is a freak'n joke b/c we can't count on the allegiance of a US puppet state. Until India's allegiance to Russia is clear and unwavering, we cannot trust to build a base there b/c we will not have happen to us as in Ukraine again. Since we know countries like Syria, Libya, and Yemen are no friends of the United States, putting a base there seems much more logical and safe.

If we want a global naval presence to protect our interests abroad, you have to look at where are energy deals are. We have major stakes in Cuban and Veneuzelan development in the Carribean so a base in one of those two countries would make sense. Our Black Sea Fleet is cut off from the Med. anytime Turkey wants to so we need a base in either Syria, Libya or both to station forces that might be caught in a NATO blockade of the Dardenelles. We also have major oil deals in Nigeria and Angola so a mid-Atlantic base would be nice. To fight the Somali pirate threat the base offered by Yemen on Socotra would be perfect. It is a nice uninhabited part of the island we could have all to ourselves that is right in the middle of Suez Canal traffik and very close to the PG. That is the most strategic base we could gain. Not only do I think India wouldn't want us on their soil, I also think Russia does not have enough strategic interest in controlling SEA supply routes, as well as not having enough confidence in India not to be bribed by USA to kick us out. If India really wants to be our ally, join the CSTO. That will prove it beyond all measure.

As far as the land route, take Kashmir and POK already. That is what is stopping us from linking pipelines and rail routes to our two countries. The only way to resolve it is to kick Pak out and place firm Indian rule. You already humiliated them in 71' and East Pakistan is no longer called Pakistan... do it again. China be damned... they don't belong there anyway.
 

amitkriit

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Russian naval base in India has no strategic benefit for Russia, it will only add to their expenses, instead Russian ships must get right to visit Indian ports for fitting, maintenance and refuelling, this can be done on reciprocal basis with Indian vessels getting similar acces to Russian ports. Indo-Russian relations must be based on the principle of equality and mutual respect, and not like Pakistan-USA or Pakistan-China relations, where Pakistani leader are selling off Pakistan for pennies, because Indians are very sensitive about presence of any foreign troops/military assets on our soil (due to our colonial past). IN and Russian navy must create a framework for greater cooperation for the sake of stabilizing the whole Indian Ocean region for mutual benefit. Sometimes maintaining a little distance is good for better relations.
 

nitesh

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Vlad sir, what about "logistical support agreement" between two navies kinda proposed by USA?
 

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