REPORT: India-Armenia Relations: Towards Robust Strategic Partnership
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Report
Written By: Arundhati Singh Tiwari, Shubhi Sharma
Edited By: Preeti Khenta
Usanas Foundation organised an Interview with Johnny G. Melikyan on India-Armenia Relations: Towards Robust Strategic Partnership. The interview was conducted by Dr. Angana Guha Roy, who is a Fellow at Usanas Foundation. The purpose of the event was to discuss the strategic underpinnings of India's engagement with Armenia. The discussion covered the geopolitical significance, prevailing dynamics, and future potential of India-Armenia relations, as well as the emerging geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus. The objective of the event was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current scenario and explore the possibilities of future cooperation between the two nations.
The remarks of the speaker are as follows:
Dr Melikyan, Senior Fellow, ORBELI Research Analytical Center (think tank) Head of Department, International Relations Research Department, Information and Public Relations Center (Оffice of the Prime Minister of Armenia) provided insights into the evolving relationship between India and Armenia, highlighting both historical connections and contemporary geopolitical dynamics. He emphasized the importance of transitioning from symbolic gestures to practical cooperation across various sectors. Dr. Melikyan identified India's strengths in high-tech industries, green energy, and military capabilities as particularly attractive areas for Armenia. He underscored the significance of infrastructure projects like trade corridors in fostering regional connectivity and economic growth.
In the broader geopolitical context, Dr. Melikyan recognized the presence of external pressures and interests that could potentially impede bilateral cooperation. Nonetheless, he advocated for a multilateral approach, underscoring the significance of trilateral consultations involving India, Armenia, and Iran. These deliberations, primarily centered on economic matters and regional communication, symbolize India's growing involvement with Armenia. Furthermore, Dr. Melikyan regarded India's neutrality in these global dynamics as advantageous, perceiving it as an opportunity to fortify relations and promote stability in the region.
Amidst geopolitical complexities, Dr. Melikyan stressed the need to restore military-political balance in the region to ensure stability. He outlined Armenia's readiness to invest in infrastructure projects like the Crossroads of Peace initiative, aimed at promoting peace, security, and cooperation. However, he also noted that cooperation depended on the decisions and actions of other regional actors, particularly Azerbaijan.
Dr. Melikyan has emphasized the importance of adopting a diversified foreign policy approach and fostering strategic cooperation between India and Armenia to promote mutual benefits and contribute to regional stability. Emphasizing practical collaboration across various sectors and addressing geopolitical challenges can pave the way for both countries to establish a robust and enduring partnership for the future.
Dr. Melikyan further talked about the importance of Georgia, the northern neighbour of Armenia, in acting as the common link to establish ties between Europe and India. He harped on the the critical geographical importance of Georgia and how trilateral cooperation between, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are required to stabilize the region.
While answering regarding Russia’s role and its competition with the West in the South Caucus region, Dr. Melikyan stressed the centrality of Russia in terms of economic, cultural and military influence in the region. He also expressed his disappointment with Russia’s inactions against the aggressive stance taken up by Azerbaijan. He further advocated for a stronger role of Russia in being a net security provider of the region through its initiatives such as CIS, and CSTO. Regardless of the recent tensions, he highlighted the role of Russia in the economic growth of Armenia which has enabled Armenia to buy weapons from countries like India.
While discussing India's soft power influence in Armenia, Dr. Melikyan emphasized the appeal of Bollywood and Indian weddings to the Armenian population. Furthermore, he underscored the substantial economic contributions made by Indian companies towards the development of Armenia.
In addressing Dr. Pandya's questions concerning the potential Islamic threat stemming from the alliance of Turkey, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan, Dr. Melikyan emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts among regional countries and their neighboring counterparts, including Iran and India, while upholding a constructive agenda. Furthermore, he advocated for the mitigation of tensions in the Israel-Palestine conflict, citing its potential far-reaching implications within the region.
For his concluding remarks, he advocated for more dialogues between India and Armenia like the Yerevan dialogue or the Maharana Pratap dialogue and emphasized upon leveling up the partnership between the two countries to the strategic level.
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