Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to the subcontinent — his visit to India followed by a two-day trip to Pakistan — underlines the readjustment of Moscow’s orientation in the region. The focus of Lavrov’s visit to the region was on the Afghanistan peace process and he spoke in New Delhi of the need for an “inclusive solution”, emphasising that the “Taliban is a part of Afghan society”. India’s stand, diplomatically articulated by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, has been that the “peace process should be based on foundational principles… and a political solution should mean an independent… and democratic Afghanistan”. In Islamabad, Lavrov said that Russia and Pakistan had “convergent positions” on the Afghan peace process.
The differences between Delhi and Moscow, however, extend to a wider strategic theatre, beyond South Asia and Afghanistan. This was apparent in Jaishankar’s use of the term “Indo-Pacific” and Lavrov insisting on “Asia Pacific”. The Russian FM also spoke of Russia’s close relationship with China but emphasised that Moscow eschewed “military alliances”. And in a thinly-veiled reference to the Quad — the US-Japan-India-Australia Quadrilateral security dialogue — he said that alliances such as “Asian NATO” can be “counterproductive” and at odds with “inclusive cooperation”. Coupled with its closeness to China and outreach to Pakistan, Lavrov’s visit marks a departure for Russia-India ties.
