The Ministry of External Affairs sought to assuage concerns over any dip in bilateral relations with various countries over the past few years.
At the ministry's mid-term briefing, ministers of state for external affairs, V.K. Singh and M.J. Akbar underplayed developments that could indicate that all was not as well.
Responding to Nepal's military exercise with China , which had caught India off guard, Singh said, “We do not view our relations through the prism of a third country'', and pointed out that India too had conducted military exercises with China, France, Russia and the US.
Russia's cosying up with Pakistan was another unexpected development last year, to which Akbar said, “Our relations with Russia have stood the test of time and we are confident it will stand the test of the future. Russia will not do anything injurious to our security and national interest.''
The overtures PM Narendra Modi made to Mongolia after his visit notwithstanding, Mongolia wasn't altogether pleased when India refused to take sides when the Dalai Lama visited the country recently and China got miffed. To this, the minister cryptically replied that no relationship should be viewed as a zero sum game.
Even on the question of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit (long pending and not yet finalised) Akbar said she was not getting a window long enough for a fruitful visit. Victory Day celebrations in Bangladesh and the Delhi fog had impeded chances of a long visit last month, he added.
