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Experts: Putin visit to India is an attempt to restore strong Russia-India relations

The Arab News reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s day-long visit to New Delhi on Monday has been labeled by foreign policy experts as “symbolic” and “substantive,” and an attempt to restore strong Russia-India relations.
Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Monday after a two-year freeze on relations. They signed 28 agreements covering bilateral defense and an Indian purchase of 600,000 Russian assault rifles.
Both countries also held their first first 2+2 ministerial talks involving defense and foreign ministers, and held a strategic dialogue to discuss reinforcing ties.
New Delhi and Moscow have a long history of friendship, but the relationship between the two has suffered in recent years following India’s growing relationship with the US, which the South Asian republic considers critical to countering its northern neighbor, China.

In his opening remarks at the summit, Modi underlined the long-standing relationship between India and Russia.
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He said: “A lot of geopolitical equations have emerged. But the India-Russia friendship has been a constant among all these variables."
“It is truly a unique and reliable model of inter-state friendship.”
In his own comments, Putin called India a “time-tested friend.”
He said: “Our colleagues, foreign and defense ministers are here; this is the first meeting in this format. It means that we continue to develop our relations on the international scene and in the military sphere.
“We perceive India as a great power, a friendly nation and a time-tested friend.”
Foreign policy experts have said that the visit was an attempt to arrest the drift in the Russia-India relationship. “Putin’s visit to an extent arrested the drift in the relationship between the two nations,” Prof. Harsh V. Pant, head of the strategic studies program at New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation, told Arab News.
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“The visit went well given that there has been this perception that that the two nations are drifting apart because of China, the Indo-Pacific and the Quad. Russia was vocal in its disagreement of all those things, and I think this visit seems to be a recognition from the top of the two countries that despite the divergences, they do see great value in keeping each other a priority country,” said Pant.
Russia has reservations over the formation of the Quad, a quadrilateral grouping involving the US, India, Japan and Australia initiated in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India’s foreign secretary, said in a press briefing on Monday that “concern over the Indo-Pacific strategy was raised with Russia.”
Putin’s visit also comes at a time when New Delhi’s relationship with Beijing — a close ally of Moscow — is strained. A tense military stand-off between the two large Asian neighbors at the Himalayan borders in Ladakh has lasted for more than a year. In a border clash between the two nations in June 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers died.
Pant said: “It’s going to be a sticky point going forward, there is no doubt about that. This is a challenge in the relationship."
“India has to convey to Russia how strongly it feels on the China question.”
Pant added that “if the relationship between India and Russia is broad and not one-dimensional, then both nations would be able to tide over these differences on China.”
India has also begun to receive S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia this month.
“The supply of S-400 air-defense missile systems had “begun this month and will continue to happen,” said the Indian foreign secretary.
Political analyst and the former Indian ambassador to Jordan and Libya Anil Trigunayat said that the S-400 sale is a matter of India’s “strategic autonomy.”
Trigunayat told Arab News: “India has to secure her national interests, which are an integral part of her strategic autonomy.
“India hopes that the global comprehensive strategic partnership that New Delhi and Washington share will enable the US to appreciate India’s genuine quest and concerns.”
Source: arabnews
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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