India Armenia relationship on a very strong keel
History indicates that Indo Armenian relationship goes back to the time of Alexander. There were at least 7 Hindu settlements in Armenia around 349 BC.
They worshipped Ganesha and their descendants multiplied and ruled over a large part of Armenia. Under the Hindu rulers, the cities flourished until the dawn of Christianity in Armenia in 301 A.D.
Armenians had trade relations with several parts of India, and by the 7th century a few Armenian settlements had appeared in the present-day state of !kerala on the Malabar Coast. Armenians controlled a large part of the international trade of the area, particularly in fabrics and semi precious stones.
During Akbar’s time Armenians had come to Agra. By the middle of the 19th century, Agra had a sizeable Armenian population. By an imperial decree, Armenian merchants were exempted from paying taxes on the merchandise imported and exported by them, and they were also allowed to move around in the areas of the Mughal Empire where entry of foreigners was otherwise prohibited. In 1562, an Armenian was constructed in Agra.
Armenian settlements also came up at Surat and near Kolkata too.
India had recognized Armenia on 26 December 1991, three months after it declared independence from the Soviet Union. India Armenia diplomatic relationship were established on 31 August 1992. India opened its embassy in Yerevan on 1 March 1999. Armenia, which had opened an consulate in April 1994, established its embassy in New Delhi in October 1999.
Presently the Indian community in Armenia is relatively small, with only a few hundred Indians residing in the country. Most of them are business people, entrepreneurs, or students. The community has been growing in recent years, with the opening of new Indian-owned businesses and the arrival of more Indian students.
The Indian government has been working to strengthen the ties between India and Armenia, particularly in the areas of trade, commerce, and investment. In recent years, there has been an increase in bilateral trade between the two countries, with India importing mainly textiles, spices, and precious stones from Armenia and exporting pharmaceuticals, machinery, and textiles to Armenia.
The defence cooperation between India and Armenia has been increasing day by day, after the blatant attack by Azerbaijan on Armenia. Armenia signed an agreement to purchase four Swathi radars for INR 320 Crores from India in March 2020.
In September 2022, Armenia signed an agreement worth ₹2,000 crore to purchase four batteries of Pinaka rocket launchers, anti-tank rockets, and various types of ammunition from India.
The possibility of establishing joint defence manufacturing units in Armenia is also being explored in addition to India’s defence export targets.
All this has totally rattled Azerbaijan an its supporters Pakistan and Turkey. No wonder their President Ilham Aliyev said in his press statement that Azerbaijan always supports and will continue to support Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir.
This was made after an expanded meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. Aliyev also said “And in all international organizations we demonstrate this support and solidarity. And mutual support of course unites our countries and our peoples even more. ”
However the India support to Armenia has ensured that Azerbaijan attacks on Armenia stop in their tracks.
