F. N. YURLOV

Doctor of Historical Sciences

Keywords: India, revolutions in the Arab world, Libya, BRICS

After gaining independence in 1947. India has taken a course of cooperation with countries seeking liberation from colonialism. The establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement (1961), founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal A. Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah, Sukarno and Josip B. Tito, also served this purpose. Even earlier, in 1956, India came out in support of Egypt during the Suez crisis.¹ Subsequently, India has repeatedly expressed its support for the rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent State.²

Of considerable importance in determining India's position in relation to the Arab countries as the backbone of the Muslim world is the fact that Muslims make up a significant part of the population in India itself and play a significant role in domestic political processes. In addition, the largest Indian diaspora lives in the oil-rich countries of the Arab East. The chronic shortage of energy raw materials is the most acute problem of the growing Indian economy. Hence the special interest in these countries.

Events in the Arab world (Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria) in January-May 2011 raised a number of questions for New Delhi related to their assessment, prospects for political and economic development in this important region, and energy security issues.

India has taken a wait-and-see approach to these developments.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament on March 18, 2011 that his "country faces huge challenges. The Middle East, West Asia and North Africa are on fire. 6 million of our citizens are in these countries. We need to think about their future. 75% of all oil supplies to India come from the Middle East. If the conflict in the region reaches a critical point, it will create a serious problem for our energy security."³. Singh set out to develop a realistic approach for Delhi to the events unfolding in the Arab countries.

So Delhi took a cautious stance. This, however, fully corresponds to the general practice of India in relation to foreign policy problems, which is characterized by balance and elaboration of details.

As a result, India abstained from voting in the UN Security Council on March 17, 2011 on resolution 1973, which was prepared by the United Kingdom, France and Lebanon and provided for "taking all necessary measures to protect the civilian population and areas with civilian populations that are under attack by the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, but excluding occupation in any country." foreign armed forces of any part of the Libyan territory." The resolution also expresses "deep concern about the deteriorating situation, escalating violence and heavy civilian casualties".⁴. Along with India, China, Brazil, Germany and Russia abstained from voting on the resolution.

Following the Western coalition's air and missile strikes on Libya, India expressed regret and demanded that all parties resolve their differences through peaceful means and refrain from using force. India views with great concern the ongoing violence, conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Libya, the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. - India calls on all parties to refrain from using force and resolve existing differences through peaceful negotiations and dialogue, in which the UN and regional organizations should play their role.⁵

At the 3rd Annual BRIC Summit (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which was held in Sanya, China, in April 2011, South Africa officially joined them. The BRICS countries have spoken out against the use of force by the West in Libya and supported the restoration of peace and stability in West Asia and North Africa in accordance with the legitimate aspirations of their peoples.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

he said on this occasion that the Western countries participating in the military coalition in Libya, by their actions exceeded the powers that they were given by the UN Security Council resolution 1973. But the resolution must be implemented in accordance with the letter and spirit of the law, and not in accordance with the arbitrary interpretations given by individual States. After all, the resolution referred to the closure of the airspace in order to prevent the intensification of the conflict. And as a result, "we got, in fact, a military operation that is not yet taking place on the ground, but is taking place in the air, in which a number of countries participate, and at some point NATO joined as a military bloc. The resolution says nothing about this. " ⁶

The Prime Minister of India noted that the BRICS countries occupy a strategic position in the global economy. In addition to a large territory and population, they are united by a desire for a world order based on international law, with the UN playing a leading role, as well as respect for the political systems of other countries, and a desire to refrain from trying to achieve changes in them.⁷

The Sanya Summit confirmed that the BRICS countries are united not only by fast-growing economies, but also by common views on the development of international life, the global economy and political processes, and close positions on key issues.

The Declaration adopted at the 2nd Africa-India Summit, held in Addis Ababa on May 23-25, 2011, called on the parties involved in the conflict in Libya to seek a political solution through peaceful means and negotiations, respecting the spirit and letter of the UN Security Council resolutions on this issue. At the same time, in Addis Ababa, at a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, Abdal al-Lati al-Obed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India SM. Krishna expressed regret over the NATO bombing of Libya and called for an immediate cease-fire, violence and attacks on the civilian population. He also called for increasing efforts to find a lasting peaceful solution to the conflict.⁸

^{Henry Kissinger.} 1 Diplomedia, Moscow, Ladomir Publ., 1997, p. 477.

^{Gandhi Indira.} 2 Mir, sotrudnichestvo, non-aligned Movement, Moscow, Progress Publ., 1985, pp. 95, 96, 100-102.

³ www.outlookindia.com 23.03.2011.

⁴ The Hindu. 21.03.2011.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Website of the President of the Russian Federation. Answers to questions from Russian journalists. 14.04.2011 - http://kremlin.ru/transcripts/10940

⁷ The Hindu. 15.04.2011.

⁸ The Hindu. 26.05.2011.

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