ARCTIC VECTOR OF INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY

Viktor A. Burlakov

Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok

Abstract: The article analyzes the main features and approaches of the Indian government to determining its foreign policy towards the Arctic. The Arctic region is gaining great importance in world politics. However, at the moment, the Arctic remains a secondary direction for India. Politics in this region is reactive in nature, that is, it is built as a response to external threats and irritants.

Keywords: India, Arctic, foreign policy, Arctic policy, cooperation

In the modern world political system, the Arctic region is becoming increasingly important. The creation of new advanced technologies and the gradual melting of ice caused by global warming are turning the Arctic into a region suitable not only for life, but also for extensive economic activity. The economic potential of the region is quite clearly outlined. Firstly, these are transport opportunities. The Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage may become quite popular transport arteries in the foreseeable future. Secondly, this is the resource potential. At this stage, it is still difficult to determine the entire volume of natural resources concentrated in the Arctic zone, but most forecasts in this area are optimistic. And thirdly, this is the geopolitical potential. The formation of a new regional complex of international relations is evident, which will obviously influence global international relations. Due to this, the issue of participation in Arctic policy is becoming vitally important for many countries that do not have access to the region.

The Republic of India is one of these countries. Recently, there has been a discussion in the country’s scientific, public and political circles about developing the country’s foreign policy line of behavior in relation to the Arctic. The debate reflects the country’s changed foreign policy potential and the growing importance of India in world politics. At the same time, it is obvious that the Arctic has fallen into the orbit of the country’s geopolitical interests and requires more and more attention from the government leadership.

The purpose of this article is to examine the main features of the development of the Arctic direction of India’s foreign policy.

It should be noted that at the moment the Arctic remains a secondary direction for India. The policy in this region is reactive in nature, that is, it is built as a reaction to external threats and irritants. The main objective of the policy is to compensate for these threats and minimize possible undesirable consequences. At the same time, the country’s leadership is trying to formulate an independent Arctic policy that takes into account national interests, the positions of the main players in the Arctic region and the system of India’s relationships with the leading world powers.

The symbolic date from which India’s Arctic policy began to take shape is 1920, when Great Britain itself and on behalf of its overseas possessions (including India) signed the so-called Spitsbergen Treaty (Treaty recognizing the sovereignty of Norway over the Archipelago of Spitsbergen, including Bear Island). After gaining independence, India did not dispute its participation in the treaty and its main provisions, thereby receiving the right to scientific research in the archipelago, the right to free navigation and a number of other minor advantages, but did not use these rights until the end of the 20th century. However, the very fact of signing the treaty gave the country the opportunity to position India as an «interested party» in the Arctic region.

Due to India’s geographical remoteness from the Earth’s poles, attention to these areas has always been at a low level. At the turn of the century, the Indian leadership turned its gaze towards Antarctica, which generally fit into the general direction of the country’s foreign policy, which began to consider the Indian Ocean basin a priority.

India sent its first expedition to the Arctic on July 30, 2007. It lasted about a month. A year later, the first scientific research station «Himadri» (from Sanskrit – the abode of snow) was officially opened at the International Arctic Research Base Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, Norway (1200 km from the North Pole). The station was intended for research in the field of glaciology, atmospheric sciences, biogeochemical research and cryosphere research. For the logistical and infrastructural support of the station, India signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Norwegian Institute of Polar Research and Kings Bay Company (the company belongs to the government of Norway) [5]. From this moment, Indian scientific expeditions to the Arctic become regular (3-4 times a year). In June 2013, the station was visited by the Indian Minister of External Affairs, which underscored its importance not only in the scientific but also in the political sphere.

On June 24, 2014, India’s first multi-purpose floating observatory, IndArk, was launched from the Norwegian research vessel Lance in Kungsfjord, Svalbard, approximately halfway between the coast of Norway and the North Pole. The observatory’s primary mission is to conduct marine research and collect data in the Arctic seas, including during the winter.

In 2016, India’s northernmost atmospheric laboratory was established in Gruvebadet, Svalbard, to study clouds, precipitation, long-range pollution and other background atmospheric parameters [4].

A significant limitation of India’s research activities in the Arctic has been and remains to this day the lack of specialized ice-class vessels. During his visit to Russia in September 2019, Prime Minister N. Modi visited “Zvezda” shipbuilding complex. At that time, the possibility of India acquiring polar research vessels from Russia was discussed [3]. However, this initiative did not receive further development.

Expanding the scientific research base in the Arctic region was intended to address two major sets of challenges facing the Indian government. Firstly, it was to continue the scientific programs in the Arctic. And secondly, it was to ensure a visible and sustainable presence of India in the region [5].

The importance of the first group of problems is determined by the country’s vital interest in studying climate changes. A number of Indian scientists claim that there is a connection between climate change in the Arctic and the Indian monsoons. In particular, the latter are directly dependent on changes in the Arctic climate. At the same time, the monsoons are the most important part of the agricultural cycle in India and are a decisive factor in the yield of the most important agricultural crops.

The second group of tasks has a clear political subtext. By ensuring its presence in the Arctic, India demonstrates its interest in participating in solving the main issues of the region. Scientific activities can also become the basis for expanding its presence and diversifying its activities. Thus, climate research can always be supplemented by geological research, which, in turn, allows us to assess the region’s prospects in terms of resources. 

An important stage in developing India’s line of behavior in the Arctic was the presentation of «India’s Arctic Policy. Building a partnership for sustainable development» [1] on March 17, 2022. This document became a significant breakthrough in the development of the country’s Arctic policy, as it formulated for the first time the main interests and areas of India’s activities in the Arctic region.

The Arctic Policy identifies four main interests that guide India’s activities in the Arctic: scientific, environmental, economic and strategic, without, however, providing any specific details on these provisions.

The document also formulates six main pillars of India’s Arctic policy: science and exploration, climate change and environmental protection, economic and human development, transport and connectivity, governance and international cooperation, and national capacity building.

1. Science and Research. This pillar is described in the document most fully. This is probably due to the fact that scientific research activities are already actively conducted and the country has accumulated some experience in this area. This allows us to clearly formulate goals and determine priorities. In addition, this area opens up significant opportunities for cooperation with Arctic countries.

In the Arctic Policy, the Science and Research pillar is represented by two areas of activity: the scientific sphere itself and the space technology sphere. The main goals of scientific research itself are defined as follows: «Channelise and harness existing expertise from polar research in disciplines such as atmospheric and ocean science, glaciology, marine ecosystems research including fisheries, geology and geophysics, geoengineering, polar infrastructure, cold biology, ecology, biodiversity and microbial diversity studies for the advancement of Arctic studies» [1].

For this purpose, the main focus should be on the development of the Himadri research base, the acquisition of ice-class research vessels and maximum cooperation with international and national institutes and research systems specializing in Arctic studies.

In the context of space technologies, India, as a country with a significant satellite constellation, is ready to provide its RISAT series radar Earth observation satellites for Arctic research. India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) may be accepted by the International Maritime Organisation as a component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System to ensure the safety of maritime navigation in the Arctic zone.

2. Climate and Environmental Protection. This pillar occupies a significant part of India’s Arctic research program. The basis of these studies is the assumption that the warming of the Arctic atmosphere influences the warming of the Indian Ocean. The main objective in this regard is to understand the mechanism of such influence.

3. Economic and Human Development. India views the Arctic region as one of the most promising in terms of development of natural resources, primarily hydrocarbons. It is also assumed that the region contains the richest reserves of copper, phosphorus, niobium, platinum-group elements and rare earth. The key goal in this case is cooperation with Arctic countries in the development of these resources. 

The second pillar component – human development – relates primarily to the indigenous peoples living in the Arctic zone. India is ready to share its experience in solving the problems of the small Himalayan peoples.

4. Transportation and connectivity. The development of the Northern Sea Route is considered by the Indian side as the creation of a promising global transport artery. In this regard, India aims to obtain the necessary competencies for the operation of northern routes, to form specific hygrographic and meteorological databases necessary for Arctic navigation. It is also important for the country to obtain technologies for the construction of ice-class vessels.

5.Governance and International Cooperation. Within the framework of this pillar, India aims to interact with the Arctic countries and all intergovernmental organizations aimed at coordinating international activities in the Arctic, with the aim of maintaining security and stability in the region.

6.National Capacity Building. The goal of the pillar is quite simple: India’s increased activity in the Arctic region, which is new to it, will create new challenges for the country, the response to which will inevitably contribute to increasing the overall national potential.

Assessing the Arctic policy of India as a whole, it is necessary to pay attention to the contradictory nature of the document. On the one hand, India sets itself purely peaceful goals in this policy. The military use of the region is not even discussed. The achievement of most other goals is made dependent on cooperation and interaction with the Arctic countries. 

On the other hand, in the document, India puts forward the idea of the global significance of the Arctic. However, this approach is rejected by almost all countries present in the region. Insisting on this position, India risks coming into conflict with potential partners. At the same time, the document is only conceptual in nature, it is devoid of any specifics

It is envisaged that India’s Arctic Policy will be complemented by a special Action Plan, but at present it has not yet been formulated.

It is interesting to note the specific apparatus of the formation of «India’s Arctic Policy». The document was prepared by the Ministry of Earth Science. It is this ministry that oversees the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), the key agency overseeing all polar research, as well as research in the Himalayas. It is assumed that this Centre will coordinate the efforts of government agencies to implement this policy, and then probably an Action Plan. The Ministry of Earth Science is headed by Dr. Jitendra Singh, who is also the head of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It turns out that the formation of Arctic policy, one of the most important areas of the country’s foreign policy, is entrusted to the department that deals mainly with scientific research issues. The Ministry of External Affairs provides external diplomatic support for the policy.

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