Manmohan conferred Honorary Doctorate by Russian Institute

October 21, 2013 03:37 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 07:43 pm IST - Moscow

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being conferred with the Honorary Doctorate by acting Rector Viktor Kirillov (right) of the Faculty of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) in Moscow on Monday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being conferred with the Honorary Doctorate by acting Rector Viktor Kirillov (right) of the Faculty of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) in Moscow on Monday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Russia this week for his 10th and last Indo-Russian summit was not only about talks with President Vladimir Putin and signing of bilateral documents. It was also about leaving a testament for his successors to nurture and strengthen friendship with Russia.

The message came in the form of an address on Monday at a ceremony of accepting an Honorary Doctorate at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Paying rich tributes to Russia for its support to India in times of trial, Dr. Singh asserted that “over the past six decades, no country has had closer relations with India and no country inspires more admirations, trust and confidence among the people of India than Russia.”

“India has benefited enormously from Russian support in every aspect of India’s national development efforts – be it in the development of heavy industry, the power sector, our space programme or in meeting our defence needs,” Dr. Singh stated.

“Russia has stood by India at moments of great international challenge when our own resources were limited and our friends were few,” he said.

“Russia offered us partnership in nuclear energy when the world still shunned nuclear commerce with us,” he recalled, adding that India “regards Russian friendship and support as something particularly precious” and “will never forget” it.

Dr. Singh stressed that friendship with Russia “enjoys complete political consensus and enormous public goodwill and support in India.”

“I am convinced that while the strength and the intensity of our relationship will remain undiminished, it must also adapt itself to the changing times so that we can address the full range of current opportunities and challenges,” the Prime Minister said.

Describing defence ties with Russia as being “unmatched by any other relationship” and predicting that “Russia will remain an indispensable partner for our defence needs”, Dr. Singh called for increasing shift towards “technology transfer, joint ventures and co-development and co-production.”

“We also see Russia as a key partner for our energy security,” he said, mentioning “an ambitious long-term plan of cooperation in nuclear energy” approved three years ago and a programme for cooperation in oil and gas that is being currently drawn up.

Dr. Singh described India’s partnership with Russia on the international stage as “one of the fundamental foundations of India’s foreign policy.”

“Our shared interests, our growing opportunities for cooperation, the history of our relationship, our abiding comfort with each other and the warmth and goodwill between our people ensure that our strategic partnership will continue to grow in strength and relevance in this changing world,” Dr. Singh said.

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