(Image source from: diplomacybeyond.com)

Nikolay Kudashev who is the Russian ambassador to India has declined the invitation that has been sent by India in order to visit the Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir, as said by the diplomatic sources. Therefore, the Russian ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev will not be visiting Jammu and Kashmir which is now a Union Territory of India.

According to the government of India the other foreign envoys except the Russian ambassador to India, who are said to be around 25 in all and are based in Delhi will be taken to Kashmir this week.

The first visit that has been made by the foreign envoys to Kashmir in the second week of January was organized by the authorities of India.

It has been observed that Russia has stood firmly behind India on the decision that has been made by the government in order to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Russian ambassador to India Nikolay Kushadev has said during the last month that Moscow never had any doubt regarding the approach that has been made by India to the Valley. He has added saying that Russia did not feel any need in finding out what was happening in Kashmir as it was an internal matter to India and that it belonged to the Constitutional space of India.

He has said that the issue regarding the special status of Jammu and Kashmir is not in the issues in the bilateral ties that Russia and India share and that the people who consider the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir as an issue and those are concerned about the people in Kashmir and are doubting the policy of India regarding Kashmir can travel to Kashmir and could witness it by themselves where as, Russia never had a doubt regarding the policy and the decisions that India has made regarding the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

By Shrithika Kushangi