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

chex3009

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I think if Russia asks for a naval base in India then India should provide the Russians a Joint Naval Facility at the Andaman and Nicobar Naval Facility which is shortly going to be made into a massive naval base. But with recent agreement with the US about the refuelling of the USN ships and logistics support being agreed by the Indians, I doubt Russia will have any interest in Indian Ocean then.
 

Tshering22

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I think if Russia asks for a naval base in India then India should provide the Russians a Joint Naval Facility at the Andaman and Nicobar Naval Facility which is shortly going to be made into a massive naval base. But with recent agreement with the US about the refuelling of the USN ships and logistics support being agreed by the Indians, I doubt Russia will have any interest in Indian Ocean then.
Our ties with Russians are completely independent on what US has or has not to say and if Russia needs a similar facility and is in a financial position to manage it, we will definitely be providing it. After all, payments for such facilities is an additional revenue no matter how large or small, isn't it? Like we operate a joint base in Ayni, Tajikistan I think it would be good to let the Russians have at least a hearing post in Andamans to keep an additional tab on how deep the Dragon has inserted its claws in the region (via Burma).

But I don't see many reasons why would Russia be interested in IOR in specific; most its trade directly reaches Russian ports and clearance offices either via sea or land transit through west Europe while it manages trade with Asia well enough with a wonderful port city, Vladivostok.
 
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http://www.sify.com/news/indian-rus...n-ocean-region-news-national-lbru4qaegei.html

Indian, Russian navies to expand cooperation in Indian Ocean Region

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) India and Russia Monday discussed the security environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), particularly piracy threats and expanding cooperation to fight the menace, at a meeting between the navy chiefs of the two countries.

The Russian Navy's commander-in-chief, Admiral Vladimir Sergeevich Vysotskiy, Monday began a three-day visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Admiral Nirmal Verma.

'The two admirals had discussions on issues of common interest ranging from the maritime environment in the IOR, operational philosophies of the two navies, ongoing projects of the Indian Navy and mutual training exchanges,' a navy spokesperson said here.

'Whilst discussing the maritime environment, specific emphasis was laid on the growing threat of piracy in the IOR and various possibilities for the two navies to co-operate,' the spokesperson added.

Detailed discussions were also held on the ongoing projects between the two countries, including the training of Indian naval personnel for the operating the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly the Admiral Gorshkov) that is scheduled to commence later this year.

India had bought the Gorshkov in 2004 for $1.5 billion, but in the last six years the cost of its refit at the Sevmash shipyard in Russia has escalated and a final price of $2.34 billion was agreed to last February. The warship is expected to be inducted into the Indian Navy by the end of 2012.

Other matters discussed included the possibility of regularising the navy-to-navy interaction with 'staff talks' and the feasibility of enhancing the scope of the Indra series of joint naval exercises between the two countries.

India and Russia share deep historical linkages for over 50 years and in recent years, defence relations between the two countries have transformed into a strategic partnership with joint developmental projects such as the BrahMos cruise missile and the latest agreement for jointly developing a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft.

The Indian and Russian navies have regularly conducted the Indra joint exercises since 2003, with five editions held so far. The last exercise Indra-2009 was conducted off Goa, while the guided missile frigate INS Beas made a port call at St. Petersburg in Russia last year.

Vysotskiy will visit the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command Tuesday and will board INS Shivalik, an indigenously built stealth frigate inducted into the Indian Navy last year.

Vysotskiy, a graduate from the Black Sea Naval College and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, has served as the Chief of Staff of the Baltic Fleet and Commander of the Northern Fleet before taking over as the Commander-in-Chief in 2007.
 

JayATL

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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?
whoa, btw I must confess I have only read the first page of responses where shockingly people talk about , yeah we can give them this and that. India is a non aligned country and one that is fully capable of safeguarding it's own borders, surrounding oceans and country. The only reason a country, that is not a NATO like organization, allows another country to have its bases in their country is ? they are typically weak, smaller countries . India is no Libya Yemen or Syria or Pakistan. Russia is a very good friend and we will always have a soft spot for them... and plenty of naval exercises :)

and because India is non aligned , India is benefiting from having tech partnerships all over the world. you give your base to Russia and western world will be wary of sharing their technology. you give US a base and Russia wont provide its assistance in the same matter. best to stay neutral, especially when you can handle your business :)
 
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JBH22

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Russians closed most of their overseas Naval Base Cahm ran base in Vietnam or Lourdes Facility in Cuba
 

Illusive

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Doesn't it puts question to our sovereignty that we need Russia to keep the Chinese at bay in our own backyard. Russia as a friend didn't want us to have a airbase in Tajikistan, neither we would like them to have 1(naval base). There's already US who don't like China in IOR.
 

Tshering22

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^^ Agreed. I don't think that there would be anything right now more than refueling facilities that is generally more or less like a petrol pump station for militaries patrolling the region: you dock, we fill you up, you pay and call it a day. That's it. Besides, having another world power in our region would mean that we are weak and our own political clout would wane which has only now started taking baby steps.

This is wrong especially now when PRC is aggressively showing its colors in our not-so friendly neighbourhood.
 

sandeepdg

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you give your base to Russia and western world will be wary of sharing their technology. you give US a base and Russia wont provide its assistance in the same matter. best to stay neutral, especially when you can handle your business :)
That's never gonna happen. We can give them a base and the US or NATO would be pissed but that's all. Business is gonna dictate terms in the future, and nobody is a fool to let their ideals keep then from trading in the lucrative Indian defense market. But yeah, at present we need to stay neutral and keep IOR under sphere of influence.
 
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whoa, btw I must confess I have only read the first page of responses where shockingly people talk about , yeah we can give them this and that. India is a non aligned country and one that is fully capable of safeguarding it's own borders, surrounding oceans and country. The only reason a country, that is not a NATO like organization, allows another country to have its bases in their country is ? they are typically weak, smaller countries . India is no Libya Yemen or Syria or Pakistan. Russia is a very good friend and we will always have a soft spot for them... and plenty of naval exercises :)

and because India is non aligned , India is benefiting from having tech partnerships all over the world. you give your base to Russia and western world will be wary of sharing their technology. you give US a base and Russia wont provide its assistance in the same matter. best to stay neutral, especially when you can handle your business :)
India has given the West a base in the Indian Ocean -Diego Garcia, at the time India had absolutely no say in the matter, and still does not have any say about when it will be returned. I also have a separate thread would India give USA a base in Indian Ocean where the other side is discussed.
 

chex3009

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India has given the West a base in the Indian Ocean -Diego Garcia, at the time India had absolutely no say in the matter, and still does not have any say about when it will be returned. I also have a separate thread would India give USA a base in Indian Ocean where the other side is discussed.
Diego Garcia is in no sense Indian, it is BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory) which was purchased from the self-governing government of Mauritius for £3 million, and declared it to be a separate British Overseas Territory.
 
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Diego Garcia is in no sense Indian, it is BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory) which was purchased from the self-governing government of Mauritius for £3 million, and declared it to be a separate British Overseas Territory.
Thanks for the info, UK made the acquisition before Mauiritus was independent and at that time there was no Indian claim to this island,UK evacuated all the inhabitants and made a base that it now shares with USA, it is an ideal location between Africa,Middle East,and South East Asia.
 

amitkriit

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Let us not get sentimental over this Indo-Russian tie. We must remember that we are not getting anything for free from Russia, we are paying them hard cash. They also tried to exploit our over-dependence over them, that's why our defense establishment is trying to diversify it's vendors now. Let us keep our independent status, only our navy will be having naval bases on our soil.
 

Tshering22

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Why are we even discussing this till now? :lol:. They haven't asked us for a base (not after USSR's death), neither the not-so-Singh Brigade has offered them any. I don't see why Russia would be interested in taking a direct base in IOR, when through selling weapons, forming JVs and transferring tech to our Navy, it can indirectly have easy access through friendly relations between Russian navy and ours and ensure that we handle all threat issues to their commercial ships in IOR.

Come to think of it; we will have significant clout to patrol the IOR ourselves by 2020. This means we have to build OUR OWN image as a reliable regional power so that the IOR countries and Southeast begins to see us as an alternate to Uncle Wang. If we needlessly keep offering bases which we never did till date thanks to our Non-Aligned policies, we will only be sent 30 years back in geo-political influence category.
 

pmaitra

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Let Russia support us in our endeavour to set up a base in Central Asia, in Pakistani or anywhere else, where Russia command clout, and of course we can consider allowing Russia to have a base in Indian Ocean. It would be a win-win situation for both.
 

JayATL

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we will happily given them refueling rights on their way to bomb the crap out of Pakistan's borders for the latest attack in Moscow:D
 

civfanatic

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Actually, we do share a border with Afghanistan but then we will have to get territorial control of POK (Gilgit-Baltistan region). Once we do that, we can get access to Tajikistan by crossing the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land in Afghanistan that seperated the then British Indian Empire and Russian Empire in the days of the Great Game. However, we will still need to lay tracks to connect to Chkalovsk through Kohistani Badakhshan province of Tajikistan, whence we can have connectivity to Central Asia and Russia.

N.B.: One point to note here is that it is difficult to use existing tracks in Tajikistan for connecting India and Russia because there is no existing railway connecting Southern Tajikistan with it's northern neighbours like Uzbekistan, where the railway network is better connected to the rest of the CIS.
What is the feasibility of building an overland rail line/highway through the Wakhan Corridor?

If it is feasible it is a great opportunity that should be exploited ASAP, provided India regains POK.
 

pmaitra

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What is the feasibility of building an overland rail line/highway through the Wakhan Corridor?

If it is feasible it is a great opportunity that should be exploited ASAP, provided India regains POK.
If I were to answer in pure technical terms (construction, civil engineering etc.), then this is hardly a problem. If people could build the Lima-Huancayo Railway or the Tibet Railway, then this can be done.

From the political point of view, I think we need an elaborate discussion on how to wrest that territory back from Pakistan.

References:
http://www.ferroviasperu.com.pe/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocarril_Central_Andino
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingzang_railway
 
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civfanatic

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If I were to answer in pure technical terms (construction, civil engineering etc.), then this is hardly a problem. If people could build the Lima-Huancayo Railway or the Tibet Railway, then this can be done.

From the political point of view, I think we need an elaborate discussion on how to wrest that territory back from Pakistan.
Yes, I was just asking about the technical feasibility, because I don't know much about engineering.

Politics can always be dealt with, provided one has the right strategy and the appopriate resolve.
 

pmaitra

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Yes, I was just asking about the technical feasibility, because I don't know much about engineering.

Politics can always be dealt with, provided one has the right strategy and the appopriate resolve.
Yes, technically, it is feasible, albeit, expensive. There are videos on how the Lima-Huancayo Line was built. I also saw a video by Discovery on the technical aspect of the Tibet Railway. You can try looking for them.

Check this out and the other parts that follow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zg-Loaicag
 

ace009

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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.
What for? The Russian Navy is in shambles. It is merely a shadow of the once formidable Soviet Navy. They barely have enough vessels to operate from their existing bases. What would they do with a base in the Indian Ocean, where they may not have enough naval presence for any strategic objective?
As for India, why should they let a foreign navy get access to their own backyard, especially a Navy vastly inferior to their own at this moment? "Rubbing shoulders" with the Russian Navy seems useless for the Indian Navy.

Also, Russia refused an Indian airbase in Central asia (Kazakstan, I think - Russia objected to an IAF base there). So, why should India ever care for a RuN base?
 
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