NEW DELHI: India and the Soviet Union Thursday announced extension of the historic Indo Soviet treaty for peace friendship and cooperation for a further period of 20 years.
A joint declaration released simultaneously from Moscow and New Delhi said at midnight Aug.8 India and the Soviet Union will take a momentous and historic step forward in deepening and strengthening traditional time tested relations between the two countries by extending the Indo Soviet treaty for a further period of 20 years.
An external affairs ministry spokesman here said though article 11 of the treaty signed in 1971 just before the Indo-Pak conflict provided for an automatic extension of the treaty for five years from the date of its expiry it was a deliberate and conscious decision by the leadership of the two counties to extend it for a period of 20 years.
President R. Venkataraman and Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao exchanged special messages with Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev to mark the occasion. External affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki and Soviet foreign minister Aleksandr A. Bessmertnykh also exchanged greeting.
Venkataraman in his message to the Soviet president said it was matter of immense satisfaction that the historic treaty was being extended for a further period of 20 years. He said the treaty had contributed to international peace and stability and provided critical underpinning in pursuit for international disarmament.
He said the relevance of the treaty was even great today in the present context in international relations. We follow events in USSR with close attention and are convinced that a restructured USSR with close attention and are convinced that a restructured USSR that is emerging would contribute positively and constructively to alignment of international peace cooperation and establishment of a just and equitable economic order Narasimha Rao in his message to Gorbachev said the Indo-Soviet treaty was based on universally recognized values and abiding principles of conducting bilateral relations among nations.
In the evolving international environment these form adorable basis of fostering greater solidarity among peoples and nations Rao said.
The prime minister said the fact of the enduring validity of the treaty was reflected in the decision of the two govt’s to extend it for a further 20 years. It would therefore play an important role in the our countries continuing efforts to attain even higher levels of mutually beneficial cooperation Narasimha Rao said.
The Soviet president in his messages to Venkataraman and Narasimha Rao said the solid foundation of relationships between the two countries laid by the treaty had led to especially in the last five years of new levels of confidence cooperation and greater inter-action
The Soviet president also referred to the linkage of the treaty to the Delhi declaration of 1986 and said both the documents reflected a political cultural humanitarian and spiritual essence of relationship between the peoples of two counties.
External affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki in his message to his Soviet counterpart said the Indo-Soviet treaty had stood the test of time through two turbulent decades. It is in the mutual interest of both the countries and not directed against any third country Solanki said.
Soviet foreign minister Bessmertnykh said the treaty had brought the Soviet Union and India even closer and exercised a remarkable stabilizing factor on the international situation in Asia and the whole world.
The spokesman said as a symbol of the concert significance of the historic step the two countries had worked out an elaborate exchange program to mark the occasion.
He said the two countries as a joint project would take up publication of all Indo-Soviet documents of historic importance and research since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1947
He said an extensive cultural exchange program had also been decided upon to mark the event. This would include the visit of 86strong Indian cultural troupe to USSR from Oct.1 to 20 a visit by a Chao dance group and exhibition of royal Indian costumes in the Soviet Union.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 16, 1991
