Ajit Doval’s Moscow visit got attention on Friday,and honestly,this one was not just normal diplomatic photo-op type thing . National Security Advisor standing inside Russia's National Space Centre and speaking live with crew aboard International Space Station (ISS) is not small thing ah .
He was accompanied by Denis Manturov,the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia . And this visit clearly showed how India and Russia are still trying to keep relationship strong across security,defense,economy and now space exploration also.
Doval was in Moscow for ongoing International Security Forum,and during same visit he went to National Space Centre named after Vera Tereshkova . There,he joined live conversation with Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov,Andrey Fedyaev,and Sergey Mikayev .
Their discussion reportedly revolved around recent spacewalk . And tbh,that part feels interesting because space conversations usually sound very technical,but here it also carried diplomatic meaning . Like both countries saying without saying too much that cooperation is still active.
Few things standing out from visit:
- Space technology exhibit showed advanced rocket engines and space technology.
- Joint Industry Information Center will monitor data related to rocket and space industry.
- Focus on cooperation included discussions on enhancing India-Russia space collaboration.
Doval also toured exhibits where major models were shown,including world's most powerful four-chamber liquid rocket engine and base module of Russian Orbital Station (ROS) . Roscosmos,the Russian state space agency,facilitated visit and shared details about ongoing projects and future work.
But this was not only about rockets and space models. At International Security Forum,Doval also spoke about terrorism and said nations should avoid double standards while dealing with it . His message was basically that global action has to be united,not selective depending on convenience.
He also met Russian officials including Sergei Shoigu,and those meetings again point toward India-Russia strategic partnership becoming active in multiple areas . Defense,security,economic ties,space cooperation… all moving together in same frame.
And still,bigger question is how much of this space and security cooperation will actually turn into visible projects in coming years,or whether it stays mostly inside meeting rooms and official visits…
