Image Source: AGENCIES

Date :- 31-12-2022
Watsupptoday Desk

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday took a veiled dig at Pakistan and sent a stern message to China in an address during his Cyprus visit on Friday. The minister said there would be no compromise on the core issues because no country has suffered from terrorism as much as India. We have been very clear that we will not normalise and rationalise terrorism, he said. Without mentioning Pakistan, the foreign minister said, "We will never allow terrorism to force us to the negotiating table. We want good neighbourly relations with everybody, but that does not mean excusing or looking away or rationalising terrorism." On border issues with China, S Jaishankar said challenges have intensified during Covid and relations with China are not normal. "We have challenges on our borders which have intensified during Covid. Relations with China are not normal because we will not agree to any attempt to change the LAC unilaterally," he said, days after Chinese and Indian troops clashed in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector on December 9, the first reported border clash between armies of both nations since 2020. The Chinese wanted to uproot an Indian post in the area, which was successfully thwarted by the Indian troops, who resolutely confronted the Chinese PLA soldiers. Minor injuries were reported on both sides. Jaishankar is on his first official visit to Cyprus as the two countries celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. During his visit, Jaishankar met his Cypriot counterpart Kasoulides and signed an agreement on defence and military cooperation, another Letter of Intent on immigration and mobility, as well as the agreement on Cyprus joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The two leaders also shared their vision for world peace, freedom, and democracy.