From Political Trust to Strategic Partnership: An Interview with India’s Ambassador to Armenia 

2025 has been an active year for India–Armenia relations, marked by high-level visits to India by Armenia’s ministers of defense, economy, and foreign affairs. More broadly, bilateral ties have entered a notably dynamic phase in recent years, with intensified political dialogue and expanding cooperation in defense, economy, and connectivity. In an interview with NEWS.am, India’s Ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, reflects on the key achievements of this period, the growing areas of cooperation, and the future direction of India–Armenia relations. 

Modern India: Beyond the Image Many Armenians Remember 

 Reflecting on how India is perceived in Armenia, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha noted that while historical ties are well known, contemporary India remains less familiar to many Armenians.

“I think Armenians know India well given the long history that we share. But the India of today is relatively unknown to Armenians,” she said.

According to the ambassador, what often goes unnoticed is India’s current global standing – as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, an IT powerhouse, and a country with strong capabilities in pharmaceuticals.

“Modern India is very different from the movies that Armenians grew up watching – those of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. India has transformed tremendously in the last few decades,” she emphasized.

Saha Sinha stressed that raising awareness about this transformation is important, particularly how India has managed to preserve its traditions while moving forward economically and technologically.

“That is what I would like Armenians to know more – how we are able to combine our traditions with really marching ahead and being one of the leading nations of the world.”

Deepening Bilateral Relations

Speaking about the recent momentum in India–Armenia relations, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha noted that cooperation has intensified significantly since 2021, following the visit of India’s External Affairs Minister to Armenia. “From then onwards, there has been a very regular exchange of visits—practically every month or every other month,” she said, adding that relations have “deepened and diversified in every area.”

As one of the key highlights of these years from India’s perspective, she pointed to Armenia’s decision to join several major India-led international initiatives, including the International Solar Alliance, the International Big Cat Alliance, and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). “These are three major organizations that India is spearheading,” the ambassador said, stressing that they are aimed at “the collective good—how we can cooperate, pool our resources, and have a better future.”

TRIPP and India’s View on Regional Connectivity 

Commenting on regional connectivity initiatives, including TRIPP, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha emphasized India’s consistent support for peace and dialogue in the South Caucasus. She recalled that after the peace agreement was initialed on August 8 and a joint declaration was signed in Washington, DC, India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, was among the first world leaders to reach out. On August 9, he spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to congratulate the Armenian leadership.

“From our perspective, more connectivity means more prosperity,” the ambassador said, stressing that India has always stood for peace “through dialogue and negotiations.” She added that stability in the region is important, noting that “peace means prosperity for all countries and all peoples,” and underlining India’s interest in connectivity projects that can contribute to long-term regional development.

Armenia’s Role in the North–South Corridor

Speaking about Armenia’s place in the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha emphasized that Armenia’s membership in the project opens up important connectivity opportunities. “Armenia is a member of the INSTC, and this offers another point of connectivity through Iran,” she said.

“We have invested in Chabahar and now have a license to run it for the next ten years,” the ambassador said, adding that this creates “a significant opportunity for Armenia to connect through Iran.”

According to Saha Sinha, Armenia’s interest in using the Chabahar Port has been steadily increasing. “We definitely see more and more interest from Armenia in using the Chabahar Port,” she said. She also pointed to the trilateral consultation forum between India, Armenia, and Iran, stressing its practical importance. “We have a trilateral consultation mechanism, and these meetings take place regularly. Three such meetings have already been held,” she noted, explaining that the platform allows the three countries to discuss “how to enhance connectivity for mutual prosperity.”

Economic Cooperation Between Armenia and India

Addressing the gap between strong political relations and more modest economic ties, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha stressed that economic cooperation remains a priority for both governments. “Economic relations and economic cooperation form a very important part of bilateral relations, and there is a lot of emphasis from both sides on enhancing trade and economic ties,” she said. 

Pointing to recent progress, the ambassador noted that bilateral trade has grown significantly in a short period. “According to Indian statistics, trade stood at around 131 million dollars in 2023–2024. In 2024–2025, it has almost tripled and now stands at a little over 315 million dollars,” she said, adding that while the growth is encouraging, “it is still much below the potential.”

One of the key tools for expanding trade, she explained, is regular engagement between business communities. “Our embassy organizes business forums in a hybrid format to ensure greater participation from businesspeople on both sides,” Saha Sinha said, noting that two such forums have already taken place this year, with more planned. She also highlighted participation in each other’s trade exhibitions as an important driver of awareness and cooperation.

The ambassador also pointed to Armenia’s strengths in niche sectors. “Armenia is very strong in certain niche products, such as leather goods and wood products,” she said, adding that these items “need to be introduced to the Indian public.” According to Saha Sinha, embassies on both sides can play an active role through targeted promotion campaigns.

“These are the ways and means through which we can enhance trade ties and deepen economic and commercial cooperation,” she concluded.

What Does Armenia Bring to the Table for Economic Cooperation?

“Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, and for India, Armenia serves as a gateway to the EAEU. India is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the EAEU, and once that agreement is concluded, Armenia’s role will be further enhanced. So yes, Armenia plays a very important role.”

IT and High-Tech Cooperation

Speaking about IT and high-tech cooperation, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha said she sees strong potential in this area, given that both countries have well-developed capabilities. “High-tech and IT are areas of strength for both Armenia and India, and I would certainly like to see this cooperation grow,” she said.

She noted that a solid foundation is already in place. “In June 2023, Armenia signed an MoU on implementing digital public infrastructure,” the ambassador said, adding that digitalization is a major focus in India, where governance is largely carried out through digital platforms. “We are offering many of these platforms to Armenia, and at the moment, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry is reviewing which tools can be adopted.”

The ambassador also highlighted progress in the financial technology sector. “Last month, an agreement was signed between ARCA, Armenia’s payment system, and the National Payments Corporation of India,” she said, expressing confidence that “within about a year, we expect to have an integrated payment system between the two countries.”

Beyond IT, she pointed to artificial intelligence as another promising area. “High-tech and AI are key areas of cooperation,” Saha Sinha said, noting that India will host the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026 and expects strong Armenian participation. She stressed the importance of visibility for Armenian companies, observing that India traditionally gravitates toward English-speaking markets. “With a strong Armenian presence at the AI Impact Summit, we expect these discussions to move forward and concrete collaboration to begin.”

“With active participation from both the government and the private sector,” the ambassador concluded, “I am confident that cooperation, partnerships, and joint projects will significantly expand.”

Untapped Sectors: Tourism and Pharmaceuticals

Highlighting areas with significant untapped potential, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha pointed first to high-tech and tourism. “High-tech is one area, and the second is tourism,” she said, noting that Indian tourists are already visiting Armenia. According to her, around 44,000 Indian tourists visited Armenia in 2024, a figure that could rise substantially with improved connectivity.

“Direct flights would be a game-changer,” the ambassador said, pointing out the long travel time between the two countries.  

Saha Sinha also highlighted pharmaceuticals as another key sector with strong potential. “There is already a lot of awareness about Indian medicines and Indian vaccines—we are often called the pharmacy of the world,” she said, adding that direct connectivity would further strengthen cooperation in this field.

“These are areas where both governments are working very actively, and we do see progress happening,” the ambassador concluded. “The potential is significant, and we are working to realize that potential.”

Defense Cooperation

Commenting on defense ties between Armenia and India, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha said this is one of the areas where cooperation has advanced most noticeably in recent years. “Defense cooperation has developed very well over the last three to four years,” she noted.

She emphasized that the partnership goes beyond the military-industrial sphere. “We are not talking only about defense industry cooperation, but also about training,” the ambassador said, adding that members of the Armenian armed forces are receiving training at various defense institutions in India.

According to Saha Sinha, cooperation in this field is both expanding and becoming more structured. “This cooperation is developing very well and is being consolidated,” she said, stressing that defense remains “an area we are continuously working on from both sides.”

“We are looking at taking our defense cooperation to the next level. We had a defense industry seminar in Yerevan in November, and we are exploring how joint ventures could allow some local production, given the logistical challenges of delivering equipment.Companies on both sides are also looking at opportunities for follow-up work for repair, maintenance, and overhaul”. 

Future of Armenia–India Relations

Looking ahead to the next five years, Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha expressed confidence that strong political ties will continue to serve as a solid foundation for broader cooperation. “First and foremost, our warm, close, and friendly political relations give us a strong base to work on different aspects of cooperation,” she said.

The ambassador highlighted people-to-people contacts and education as key areas for growth. “In five years, I see more people-to-people exchanges and enhanced educational cooperation. Armenia has a very ambitious Academic City project. We are encouraging private Indian universities to look at this initiative and explore how they can participate.”

Summing up her vision, the ambassador said that over the next five years, “political relations will become deeper, and in all other areas—cultural, educational, trade, and defense—cooperation will be more diversified and consolidated.” She added that India looks forward to seeing this progress take shape.

Gayane Aleksanyan