POST-SOVIET ASIAN POLICY: RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY IN CHINA AND INDIA (1991–1999)

Abstract

This article is an attempt to revisit the Asian policy of the Russian Federation in the Post-Cold War era. More specifically, the aim of this article is to determine the origins of Moscow’s current strategic alliances with China and India in a historical trajectory from 1991 to 1999. To this end, the article focused on Russian diplomatic activities, state visits, cooperation strategies and signed agreements within this timeframe. Then, in the context of these diplomatic efforts, the article discussed how the priorities of each government could affect these initiatives with a focus on their national concerns, geopolitical imperatives and global strategies. Following these discussions, the article concluded that a revival of global status was at the heart of Russia’s Asian diplomacy. Moreover, it was concluded that while foreign relations with China and India had emerged from two different historical processes, the common interests and imperatives that were mutually perceived by these states were crucial in reaching strategic agreements and shaping post-Soviet alliances.