India and Russia to deepen Arctic cooperation with focus on Northern Sea Route

India and Russia are ramping up their collaboration in the Arctic, with a strong focus on resource development. A meeting between President Putin and Prime Minister Modi next week will delve into this burgeoning partnership. India is set to launch its inaugural cargo ship along the Northern Sea Route next year, promising substantial reductions in travel distance and time for European trade.

New Delhi: Increasing cooperation in the resource-rich Arctic region will figure high on the agenda at the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin next week on the margins of the BRICS Summit.

With cooperation in the Arctic taking shape, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov recently wrote in an article in Arctic.ru: "We are engaged in an active dialogue with New Delhi on issues related to high latitudes. In late August, it was discussed at a meeting of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Cooperation. Indian corporations are involved in developing the resource potential of Russia's Arctic region. According to some experts, the Arctic could become a major area of cooperation between Russia and India over the next 20 years."

In a recent speech, Putin also alluded to the growing India-Russia partnership in the Arctic region. On Wednesday, he visited a shipyard that constructs vessels for the Arctic region.

It may be pointed out that India is planning to send its first cargo ship along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), or the Arctic route, next year. The route could save Indian vessels up to 40% in distance and around two weeks of travel time to eastern and northern Europe, compared to traditional routes through the Suez Canal.

In fact, Russia's Arctic region of Arkhangelsk is in talks with India on leveraging the economic potential of the NSR. Located on Russia's Arctic coast, the city of the same name sits on the Northern Dvina River and is a major cargo hub linked to the NSR.

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The opportunities being discussed between India and Arkhangelsk range from building ships for India at shipyards in the Arkhangelsk region to developing port facilities to deliver cargo from India and export cargo to India, ET had reported last month.

Russia's Arctic region has huge deposits of hydrocarbons, including LNG, besides other natural resources such as nickel, copper, platinum, palladium, and rare earth elements.

The NSR is a 5,600-km sea passage that runs through Russia's Arctic region. It is covered by thick ice for most of the year, but climate change and receding sea ice are widening the annual window for navigation. Specialised ice-strengthened ships are required to navigate the NSR. Russia's nuclear major Rosatom, which makes these specialised ships, will be signing an MoU with India for the NSR.

The MEA spokesperson had stated recently that India has multifaceted ties with Russia, including connectivity initiatives.