India's Defense Minister Rajnath Singh says the country desires to maintain friendly relations with its neighbors — but not at the expense of India's national security.
Addressing the 90th annual pilgrimage of Sivagiri Mutt on Friday, Singh referred to a remark made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who believed it is possible to change friends, but not neighbors.
"Therefore, we need good and friendly relations with our neighbors. However, we will not compromise on national security to maintain good relations. We do not want good relations with anyone at the cost of our national security," the Defense Minister noted.
India accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been a source of decades-long tension between the two neighbors.
India alleges Pakistan has been supplying arms and drugs to militants operating in the region and providing safe haven to terrorists. Pakistan has consistently denied that, in return, accused India of alleged violation of human rights of Jammu and Kashmir people.
On the other hand, India and China have also engaged in several border clashes. The situation has been particularly tense in the Ladakh region, where the two countries engaged in a deadly clash in 2020 that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
The situation was further exacerbated in Demeber this year with clashes in Tawang, which resulted in injuries on both sides.