India and Russia recently met to discuss cooperation on the Northern Sea Route. They talked about training Indian sailors for polar navigation and working together on Arctic shipbuilding projects, according to Hindustan Times.
Bilateral Engagement
The decision to establish a working group on the Northern Sea Route under the bilateral intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in July. The first meeting of the working group, held in New Delhi on October 10, discussed several issues, including targets for Indian and Russian cargo transit along the route, joint projects for Arctic shipbuilding, and possible training of Indian sailors for polar navigation, the Russian statement said.
The working group drafted a memorandum of understanding between the governments of India and Russia for the “development of cooperation in cargo shipping in the waters of the Northern Sea Route”, the statement said.
Transportation Corridors
The Northern Sea Route is seen as the shortest shipping route connecting the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific. In 2018, the Russian government appointed Rosatom, the state-run atomic energy agency, as the infrastructure operator for the Northern Sea Route.
The Indian side is interested in two proposed transportation corridors – the Northern Sea Route and the Eastern Maritime Corridor – because they can ensure uninterrupted energy supplies from Russia, two Indian officials from different ministries said on condition of anonymity.
Popular maritime routes through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea have been frequently disrupted by ongoing geopolitical conflicts, hurting trade and leading to a spike in transportation costs because of soaring insurance premiums, one official said. “India cannot afford such frequent trade disruptions and is keen to develop all alternate routes that reduce time and cost overruns,” he said.
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Source: Hindustan Times
