External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a statement on the Doklam standoff near the Sikkim border in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. This comes after India on Wednesday released a statement in response to China’s 15-page fact-sheet.
On the issue of the standoff, Swaraj said:
Instead of asking the Indian leadership, you called a Chinese envoy. The Opposition should have understood the Indian side and then should have called the Chinese envoy.
Advocating patience, she further added:
We are not negotiating on Doklam, we are talking about bilateral relations.
She further commented on the standoff and said that there are steps to be covered before the boundaries are finalised (in Sikkim), but the countries will continue to use diplomatic channels to resolve the issue.
India-Pakistan Relations
Commenting on India-Pakistan relations, Swaraj said that the two countries were on good terms even after the Pathankot attacks of January 2016. The relations deteriorated after Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani’s death, who Pakistan hailed as a martyr.
On the issue of Kashmir, the External Affairs Minister said:
PoK is an integral part of India, the entirety of Kashmir is ours.
War Is No Solution: Swaraj
Swaraj said in the Parliament that times have changed and that it's not military prowess but financial power which shows a country's strength.
War cannot resolve problems. Wisdom lies in resolving issues peacefully.Sushma Swaraj
Swaraj Clears India’s Stance on Palestine
Israel is a friend but we will never let down the cause of Palestine.Sushma Swaraj
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Gopal Baglay on Wednesday responded to the 15-page statement issued by China accusing India of “concocting” excuses over the “illegal” entry of troops on the disputed Doklam territory, saying:
India considers that peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas is an important pre-requisite for smooth development of our bilateral relations with China.
The standoff on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbours, who share a 3,500-km (2,175-mile) frontier, large parts of which are disputed.
China on Wednesday conveyed its firm stand to India that the latter must take “concrete actions” by immediately pulling back troops from Doklam in the Sikkim section with “no strings attached” to resolve the current standoff.
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(With inputs from ANI.)
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