India needs to not only strengthen bilateral cooperation with Russia in the Arctic, but also to expand cooperation in the region within the BRICS, Anurag Bisen, senior researcher at the Vivekananda International Foundation, told TASS.
In his opinion, India's more active participation in Arctic cooperation would also lead to a weakening of the monopoly of the A7 (seven Arctic states) in Arctic affairs.
Bisen believes that India should take the initiative to create a separate working group within the framework of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on strengthening bilateral cooperation with Russia in the Arctic. Such a mechanism, for example, was created between Russia and China in 2017.
"It is extremely important for India to continue to participate and expand its presence in the Arctic. The huge reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals in the Arctic are capable of ensuring India's energy security and eliminating the shortage of strategic minerals," the expert said.
In addition, the melting of Arctic ice caused by global warming directly affects 1,382 island territories of India. Warming in the Arctic also affects the monsoon rains in India, on which almost 58% of India's population depends on agriculture, which accounts for almost 18% of the country's GDP.
The expert also recalled that India is the only developing country, apart from China, that has a permanent Himadri research station on Svalbard in the Arctic.
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