Against this backdrop, News.Az spoke with Indian political scientist Abhinav Pandya and Burzine Waghmar, former Visiting India Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London, and member of the SOAS South Asia Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, to assess the prospects for renewed cooperation, the impact of regional dynamics and the practical opportunities for strengthening ties between Baku and New Delhi.
Abhinav Pandya: National interests can help India and Azerbaijan overcome geopolitical differences
Speaking to News.Az, Pandya said Jaishankar’s recent visit to Baku represents an important step toward restoring relations between India and Azerbaijan following several years of diplomatic tensions.
According to the expert, despite differences over Pakistan, Türkiye and Armenia, the two countries have significant opportunities to strengthen cooperation in energy, trade, transport connectivity and regional security.
Pandya believes the visit should be viewed primarily as an attempt to repair strained relations rather than the beginning of an entirely new diplomatic partnership.
“I don’t think it represents a new genuine attempt to build ties, but I think it’s an attempt to repair the ties which have gone through a phase of tension and a lot of frictions over the last few years,” he said.
The political scientist noted that relations became particularly strained during India’s Operation Sindoor, when Azerbaijan was widely perceived in Indian public discourse and mainstream media as a close ally of Pakistan and Türkiye.
He also recalled the 2021 Islamabad Declaration, adopted by Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Türkiye, which supported Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. According to Pandya, the declaration and subsequent trilateral military exercises contributed to negative perceptions of Azerbaijan in India.
The expert argued that Azerbaijan’s relationship with Pakistan should be understood within the broader context of its strategic partnership with Türkiye, rather than automatically interpreted as a position directed against India.
“Now I think after this phase of tension and frictions, the two countries are getting back to each other. And certainly it shows that national interest and self-interest can outweigh the importance of ties which are driven by religion and ethnicity,” he emphasized.
Pandya welcomed New Delhi’s efforts to restore relations, pointing to the longstanding historical and cultural connections between the two countries.
According to him, these connections provide a foundation for expanding cooperation in tourism, energy, connectivity and trade.
Addressing Azerbaijan’s close relations with Pakistan, the political scientist stressed that disagreements over regional issues should not prevent Baku and New Delhi from developing mutually beneficial partnerships.
“Azerbaijan maintains close ties with Pakistan, and those ties emanate from Azerbaijan’s close ties with Türkiye. That’s how, as a strategic expert, I would like to perceive it. But that should not act as an obstruction for building, or rather rebuilding, India-Azerbaijan ties,” he explained.
Pandya also highlighted Azerbaijan’s strong partnerships with Israel and the United Arab Emirates, both of which maintain close relations with India.
In his assessment, these overlapping diplomatic relationships could facilitate greater cooperation between Baku and New Delhi.
The expert identified respect for secular principles and shared concerns about cross-border terrorism as additional areas of potential understanding.
Beyond political considerations, he placed particular emphasis on Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position and its potential contribution to India’s broader connectivity ambitions.
“Azerbaijan is a gateway to Europe, to Georgia, to Central Asia, to Inner Asia. And so that makes it very important for India,” the expert noted.
According to Pandya, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is becoming increasingly important to India amid instability in West Asia and disruptions affecting traditional transport routes.
He argued that Azerbaijan’s participation in the corridor makes it a strategically significant partner for India, particularly as New Delhi seeks alternative routes connecting it with Eurasian markets.
“The INSTC is very important to India because the Middle Eastern connectivity routes are now disturbed and the disruption is going to last for long. So, the INSTC is very critical and Azerbaijan is a critical component of the INSTC,” he stated.
The political scientist also emphasized the importance of energy cooperation, noting that India remains a major importer of crude oil and natural gas.
In his view, regional instability in West Asia increases India’s need to diversify its energy suppliers, potentially creating new opportunities for Azerbaijan.
Discussing the South Caucasus, Pandya acknowledged that India’s strategic partnership with Armenia has complicated its image in Azerbaijan.
However, he argued that India’s regional policy should not be interpreted exclusively through its relationship with Armenia.
He stressed that the South Caucasus is undergoing significant shifts in regional power dynamics, making it increasingly important for India to strengthen its diplomatic presence.
According to Pandya, improving relations with Azerbaijan would help New Delhi avoid being perceived as a one-sided actor in regional affairs.
He also argued that strategic partnerships should not automatically determine a country’s relationships with the partners of its geopolitical rivals.
“Pakistan has friends, but their friends can also have common and overlapping interests with India,” he explained.
In this context, Pandya believes India should adopt a pragmatic approach toward Azerbaijan, focusing on shared economic and strategic interests rather than allowing disagreements involving third countries to dominate bilateral relations.
The political scientist concluded that rebuilding relations with Azerbaijan would not only benefit the two countries economically but also strengthen India’s broader diplomatic position in the South Caucasus.
“I think India should definitely encourage and rebuild these ties, and that will also help India in strengthening its diplomatic clout and role in the Caucasus region,” Pandya said.
Burzine Waghmar: Energy cooperation and growing trade provide a strong foundation for bilateral ties
Speaking to News.Az, Waghmar said India and Azerbaijan have significant opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations through energy cooperation, expanding trade and investment.
“Both countries have demonstrated a pragmatic approach to economic cooperation, seeking to maintain and develop commercial ties independently of political disagreements,” according to the expert.
Waghmar noted that relations between India and Azerbaijan have generally remained constructive, although they have not traditionally been as close as India’s partnerships with certain Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
He explained that recent geopolitical developments have increased India’s interest in the South Caucasus, bringing the region into New Delhi’s broader strategic calculations.
The expert emphasized that political differences do not necessarily prevent countries from developing mutually beneficial economic partnerships.
He drew a comparison with India’s relations with China, noting that New Delhi and Beijing have maintained commercial engagement despite longstanding political disagreements.
“India and Azerbaijan have similarly sought to separate economic cooperation from geopolitical differences, focusing on practical opportunities in trade, investment and energy,” Waghmar said.
One of the most significant examples of bilateral cooperation is India’s investment in Azerbaijan’s energy sector.
Waghmar highlighted the activities of ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which has invested more than $1.2 billion in Azerbaijan’s offshore oil and gas projects and associated energy transportation infrastructure.
“These investments include interests in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil fields in the Caspian Sea and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which plays an important role in transporting Azerbaijani crude oil to international markets,” he added.
The expert described these investments as evidence of India’s long-term economic interest in Azerbaijan and the strategic importance of the country’s energy resources.
He also drew attention to the substantial growth in Azerbaijani oil exports to India during 2026.
According to figures cited by Waghmar, India’s imports of Azerbaijani crude oil reached approximately $399.2 million in the first nine months of 2026, representing more than a sevenfold increase compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.
“This growth highlights the expanding role of Azerbaijan in India’s energy supply diversification and demonstrates the commercial potential of bilateral relations,” he said.
Waghmar particularly emphasized Azerbaijan’s pragmatic approach to foreign economic relations, noting that Baku continues to develop energy partnerships with countries pursuing different geopolitical policies.
He pointed to Azerbaijan’s oil exports to India and Israel as examples of its willingness to prioritize commercial interests and maintain diversified international economic relationships.
“This approach distinguishes Azerbaijan as a commercially pragmatic partner capable of building economic cooperation beyond political and regional differences,” according to the expert.
Waghmar suggested that such economic pragmatism provides a foundation for further strengthening India-Azerbaijan relations.
The expert also addressed the broader geopolitical environment, noting that India’s increasing engagement with the South Caucasus reflects changes in regional political and economic dynamics.
He observed that the region, which historically occupied a relatively limited place in India’s foreign policy priorities, has attracted greater attention from New Delhi in recent years.
Nevertheless, Waghmar stressed that bilateral commercial interests remain an important factor in maintaining constructive relations between India and Azerbaijan.
Turning to regional connectivity, the expert discussed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transport initiative launched by India, Iran and Russia in September 2000.
The project envisages connecting India with Russia and European markets through maritime, railway and road networks, with Azerbaijan occupying an important geographical position along one of its principal routes.
Waghmar noted that the proposed 7,200-kilometre corridor was initially designed to reduce transportation costs and delivery times while providing alternatives to traditional maritime routes.
However, he expressed skepticism about the pace of its implementation, citing infrastructure limitations, insufficient investment and geopolitical obstacles.
“The corridor has yet to achieve the level of commercial activity originally anticipated by its participating countries,” he said.
The expert also referred to challenges affecting Iranian transport infrastructure and the development of Chabahar port, which India has supported as part of its efforts to expand access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Waghmar argued that international sanctions and regional instability have complicated the implementation of major connectivity projects.
“Despite these difficulties, Azerbaijan’s geographical location and established energy infrastructure remain important factors in India’s broader economic engagement with the region,” he noted.
The expert’s assessment highlights how Azerbaijan and India have continued to develop practical economic ties despite differences in their regional foreign policy priorities.
“In particular, growing energy trade, Indian investment in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industry and the willingness of both countries to maintain commercial dialogue demonstrate the potential for further bilateral cooperation,” the expert said.
Waghmar’s observations suggest that energy cooperation, expanding trade and a pragmatic approach to foreign economic relations can remain central pillars of India-Azerbaijan ties, providing opportunities for both countries to deepen their economic partnership in the coming years.
