Republic of India
Background
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia and the seventh-largest country by area. It is the most populous country since 2023 and has been the world’s most populous democracy since its independence in 1947. The country is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the south, the Arabian Sea to the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast, and it shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Its location also gives it maritime proximity to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie near maritime routes connected to Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.
India is a federal republic with a democratic parliamentary system and a large, diverse population. It is a major regional and global actor because of its size, economy, armed forces, and diplomatic reach, and it is recognized as a nuclear-weapon state with substantial military expenditure. In international affairs, India is important as a leading participant in multilateral formats such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and it is also a significant partner for Russia in political and foreign policy dialogue. The country’s scale, market size, and growing economic influence make it a central counterpart in Eurasian, Asian, and broader global interactions.
India’s modern position reflects a long historical development from early settlement and the Indus Valley Civilisation to later empires, religious and cultural change, and British colonial rule. The subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, followed by the establishment of the republic in 1950. Since then, India has grown into a fast-expanding major economy and a multilingual, multi-ethnic state, while also facing unresolved disputes with Pakistan and China, especially over Kashmir. In recent diplomacy, India and Russia have maintained high-level contact; on 11 March 2026, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discussed Iran, de-escalation efforts, and coordination through SCO and BRICS.
Timeline
The Republic of India, through Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, backed SCO and BRICS efforts aimed at de-escalating the Iran situation and achieving a sustainable settlement.
On the Telephone Conversation Between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India S. Jaishankar
Documents
On the Telephone Conversation Between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India S. Jaishankar
Lavrov and Indian FM Jaishankar discussed the Iran situation in a phone call, backing SCO and BRICS efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable settlement.