First, the Russian Foreign Minister was “too busy” to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, then Mukherjee was frisked at the Moscow airport on his way back. And now Moscow wants to term the upcoming trip of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a “working visit,” not an “official visit” unless he meets the Russian Prime Minister.

With just one official day, November 12, available for meetings, India tried to explain its “practical difficulties” but ultimately gave in and agreed to separate talks between Singh and Russian PM Viktor Zubkov. And so Russia has agreed to call the PM’s visit on November 11-13 an “official visit.”

These are essentially issues of protocol and the categorization of a visit determines the kind of hospitality, ceremonial functions and meetings that a visiting dignitary may have in the itinerary. The two sides have been holding summit-level meetings at the level of the Prime Minister and Russian President for past seven years alternatively in Russia and India.

Russia made it clear this time that unless the two PMs meet, this would be treated as a “working visit”. This would have been the first ever downgrade in protocol between the two traditional partners given that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit was, at one point, considered a state visit by Moscow.

The issue came at up at the preparatory meeting in Moscow recently where the Indian side sought to argue that the last visit by Singh in December 2005 was treated as an official visit even though it did not include separate talks with the Russian PM. The visit was a top-level exchange between Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Key ministers, including the Russian Foreign Minister, made courtesy calls.

... contd.