India is a peace-loving country but determined to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of “unilateralism and aggression”, no matter what the sacrifice is, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.
His comments come in the backdrop of the continuing stand-off with China in Eastern Ladakh.
Also read: LAC standoff | Divergences remain between India and China
Speaking at a webinar on the diamond jubilee celebration of the National Defence College (NDC), he said India had fostered close relationships and partnerships with like-minded countries to further the common interests of countries in the region and beyond like Australia, Japan and the U.S.
“Recently, India has been facing other challenges on its borders. India is a peace-loving country. We believe that differences should not become disputes. We attach importance to the peaceful resolution of differences through dialogue. However, India is determined to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unilateralism and aggression, no matter what the sacrifice,” he stated.
Peace could only be ensured through “the ability to deter war,” Mr. Singh said. There had been an attempt to build this deterrence through a judicious combination of capability development and an emphasis on long term policy of indigenisation.
Also read: India wants tensions to end, but won't cede an inch of territory, says Rajnath Singh
Ties with U.S., Russia
“Our strategic partnership with the U.S. is stronger than ever before,” he emphasised. He also said that India also had strong, traditional and deep-rooted relations with Russia and the two countries have “weathered many a challenge in the past.” “India has also forged a very special partnership with reliable friends like France and Israel,” he noted.
India and Australia shared “common concerns” and “shared values”, Mr. Singh pointed out. The India-Australia virtual summit in June 2020 gave a fillip to the already strong comprehensive strategic partnership.
Also read: SCO meet | Peaceful resolution of differences key to ensure regional stability, says Rajnath
“Our interests to secure trade routes, shipping lines of communication, fishing rights and communication networks also require the ability to contribute to the global effort, to maintain open and free oceans,” he added.
Last month, the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping comprising India, Australia, Japan and the U.S. met in Tokyo and later India agreed to the participation of Australia in Exercise Malabar 2020 along with Japan and the U.S. The exercise is now on in the Bay of Bengal.
Published - November 05, 2020 01:21 pm IST
