After the heads of all five
permanent members of the United Nations Security Council visited India in the past year, which does India feel closest to?
在联合国安理会五个常任理事国的元首过去一年都访问印度之后,印度觉得关系最密切的是哪个国家呢?
After listening to Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna's media briefing Friday, we would have to conclude that the answerâ 'as it probably would have been at any point in the past five decadesâ 'is Russia.
听了外务部长克里希纳(S.M. Krishna)上周五的吹风会之后,我们只能认为答案是
俄罗斯。──而且过去50年的任何时候可能都是这个答案。
Mr. Krishna said relations with Russia remain a top foreign
policy priority.
克里希纳说,与
俄罗斯关系仍是外交工作的重中之重。他说
俄罗斯是一个"久经考验的伙伴"──对于刚刚把印度列为外交工作重点的美国和英国等国家来说,这样的话听起来或许有些刺耳。另外,克里希纳还将印俄关系称为一种"特殊的、受优待的战略伙伴关系"。
He described Russia as a 'time-tested partner'â 'perhaps a subtle dig at those, such as the U.S. and the U.K., which have only recently put India at the top of their priority lists. And he described the India-Russia
relationship as a 'special and
privileged strategic partnership.'
卡梅伦(David Cameron)还在说什么"新的特殊关系"!他是2010年五个常任理事国当中第一个访问印度的,但克里希纳对英国提都不提。
Take that, David Cameron's ' new special
relationship!' It was Mr. Cameron who was the first of the Big Five to visit in 2010 but Britain didn't
warrant a mention from Mr. Krishna.
尽管法国总统萨科齐(Nicolas Sarkozy)秋季曾经到访,但克里希纳也没有提到法国。不过我们应该注意,他还是谈到了欧盟-印度自由贸易协定的前景。预计这份协定将在今年头几个月内最终敲定。
美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)于11月上旬高调访问印度。美国可以说并没有得到
俄罗斯得到的那种超级特殊友谊地位,但克里希纳也指出,美国和印度最近形成了一种"非常稳固的战略性、全球性伙伴关系"。他还说,美印关系已经达到了一种"不同质的新水平",印度认为美印关系具有"非常高的重要性"。
Nor did France,
despite President Nicolas Sarkozy'sautumn visit though we should note that Mr. Krishna did mention the promise of the European Union-India free trade
agreement which is expected to be finalized in the first few months of this year.
他对中国远没那么热情,考虑到两国间多个领域内的矛盾,这也不足为奇。
克里希纳说,印度将继续在一系列议题上与中国积极互动。他还说,去年两国之间的交流,包括中国总理温家宝上个月访问新德里,增强了双边关系的"稳定性"。
U.S. President Barack Obamaarrived here to great fanfare in early November. The U.S. didn't quite get the super special friend
status accorded to Russia but Mr. Krishna did note that the U.S. and India have recently forged a 'very strong strategic global partnership.' He also said their
relationship had moved to a 'qualitatively new level' and that India attaches a 'very high importance to our
relationship.'
他说,两国已同意,作为"战略伙伴",它们将加强商贸、科技和人员往来。
总之,北京毕竟不是莫斯科。
He was
decidedly less effusive about China, not
surprisingly given the various areas of
tension between them.
Paul Beckett
'India will continue to
actively engage China across a
spectrum of issues,' Mr. Krishna said, adding that exchanges between the two countries last yearâ 'including the visit to New Delhi last month of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabaoâ 'had added 'stability' to the
relationship.
The two countries, he said, have agreed that, 'as strategic partners,' they will
enhance trade and
commerce, science and technology, and people-to-people ties.
In short: Beijing, you are not Moscow.
Paul Beckett