Why India, and not China, would matter most in spurring Russia's Greater Eurasian Partnership
In a recent interview to Izvestia, the new Ambassador designate of the Russia Federation to India Denis Alipov said that India occupies a central position in Russians foreign policy priorities and that Russia was interested in India's growing influence as an independent power centre both in the world and in particular in the " Asia Pacific Region ". While the good ambassador's words are admirable, this has become a common refrain of late - not just encouraging or wishing for India''s rise as a major power, but rather acknowledging India as a power centre. On his India visit for the bilateral visit, President Vladimir Putin himself said this in Delhi: "Russia views India as a major power, whose people have been very friendly to us." And with good reason too. A cold war era joke goes that the only truly non-aligned countries then were the USA and the USSR. In the current context India may be a truly non-aligned country. It's excellent current relat