As the United Kingdom and Russia are engaged in a diplomatic face-off over the Salisbury incident, India and Pakistan are caught in a dilemma on how to negotiate their way through the joint declaration at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London next week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in London from April 18, and will attend the summit on April 19-20. Sources said the UK is keen to include a strongly-worded paragraph on the Salisbury incident. However, India, which has strong strategic ties with Russia, wants the language to be moderated, and would not even want a reference to the incident in the declaration. In its efforts to dilute any reference to Russia, India has found an unlikely partner in Pakistan, which is developing its own ties with Moscow in recent years, much to Delhi’s discomfiture. At the CHOGM summit, the negotiators are also discussing a declaration on “cyber crime” — which may have a reference to Russian involvement in elections in the UK and US. “We do not want to get caught in the battle between the West and the Russians. while we understand the need to voice our concerns, we will do it, if the need arises, in a bilateral format, and not on such multilateral groupings,” a South Block source told The Indian Express. For India, one of the main reasons for not acting adversely against Russian interests is the strong defence ties. A possible deal on S-400 missile system is at risk of attracting sanctions imposed on Russians. Though the Salisbury incident took place over a month ago, on March 4, India has refrained from issuing a statement. The only Indian statement on the issue was at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)’s special session, where Indian envoy Venu Rajamony said that “India, like all other countries, should await the outcome of the investigation” done by the OPCW. This was a clear riposte to the UK and western countries, as the British authorities had concluded that the plot to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, by using a nerve agent, was carried out by Russia. Yulia has since been discharged from hospital, while Sergei is still recuperating. According to sources, the Indian position is going to be on the line that “India is against the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances”. This formulation was articulated by the Indian envoy at the OPCW meeting in the Netherlands on April 4. Sources said Indian negotiators are clear that there will not be any mention of Russian interference in the CHOGM joint declaration. “We cannot stop what individual countries may or may not say in their statements, but we will steer clear of the controversy,” said a source. While Modi’s speech is still being discussed, it is unlikely to make any mention of the issue, given his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Western allies have supported Britain, and over 20 countries, including the US, have expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats. Moscow has denied any involvement and has accused London of coming up with a “fake story”. Moscow too has retaliated with expulsions of diplomats from these countries.
