External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar while speaking on India's ties with China has said that ties were stable for three decades as two nations addressed inherited challenges and new circumstances. Peace and tranquillity in border areas provided basis for expanded cooperation in other domains.
"But as pandemic unfolded, relationship has come under severe stress," said Jaishankar as reported by PTI.
Continuing further, Jaishankar said, "To restore normalcy, agreements between two countries must be respected scrupulously in their entirety."
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The External Affairs Minister added, "Where the LAC is concerned, any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo is unacceptable. We have to be uncompromising in combating cross-border terorism."
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Earlier on October 28, while highlighting the importance of the 2+2 ministerial meeting, Jaishankar said, "The 2+2 dialogue has a pol-mil agenda that underlines our close bilateral relationship. Our national security convergences have obviously grown in a more multi-polar world. We meet today to not only advance our own interests but to ensure that our bilateral cooperation makes a positive contribution in the world arena."
With India, US, Japan and Australia coming together for the Quad, the signing of Beca will strengthen the Quad as well. The four countries are also coming together for the Malabar naval exercises in the Indian Ocean region.
India had earlier signed another defence pact with the US-the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), also known as the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA).