The episode traces the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between India and the Soviet Union, signed in August 1971 against the backdrop of the crisis in East Pakistan, where a military crackdown sent millions of refugees into India. It covers the negotiations led by Indira Gandhi on the Indian side and Andrei Gromyko for the Soviets, the treaty's mutual-consultation clause and its economic and political provisions, and the Soviet diplomatic and military support during the December 1971 war that led to the birth of Bangladesh. It also considers the costs of the alignment, including strained relations with the United States and China, and the treaty's contested legacy in the decades that followed.
More: https://thetreatyarchive.com/treaty/indo-soviet-friendship-treaty
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