Along with this, Foreign Secretary Shringla also said that India also wants good relations with its neighboring country Pakistan, but this cannot happen at the cost of security. Foreign Secretary Lal Bahadur Shastri was addressing an event at the National Academy of Administration.
His remarks came just two days before the 15th round of Corps Commander-level talks over the ongoing standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh. At the same time, regarding relations with Afghanistan, Shringla said that we have maintained special relations with the friendly people of the country.
The Foreign Secretary said, “In view of the humanitarian situation and needs in Afghanistan, the Government of India has decided to gift 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghan citizens. The first consignment of this humanitarian aid from India was dispatched from the Attari border last month.
Shringla also mentioned India’s relations with Myanmar. We are connected with Myanmar. This is a country with which we have a border of about 1700 km. In our participation, we have emphasized India’s interest in seeing Myanmar’s return to democracy at the earliest.
‘Priority to neighboring countries in our foreign policy’
He said that the neighborhood comes first and foremost in India’s foreign policy priorities. This policy towards neighboring countries gives top priority to our relations with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The Foreign Secretary said that apart from Pakistan, we are working closely with all these countries. He said that the neighboring countries have special importance for India. Our relations with these countries are linked by shared history and culture. We are essential to each other.
China expects 15th round of talks to be successful
On the other hand, China on Wednesday expressed hope that in the 15th round of military-level talks on March 11, India and China will be able to reach a solution that will be acceptable to both sides on the remaining conflict points in eastern Ladakh. China said that we hope to take another step in this direction.
Confirming the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a media briefing that in the previous round of talks, the two sides had in-depth discussions to resolve the remaining issues on the western sector of the border. We hope that in the next talks we will take another step in this direction.
The disputes in the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso lake, Galwan and Gogra hot spring areas have been resolved through these talks. The 14th round of military talks between the two countries was held on 12 January. However, no significant result of this negotiation was seen.