Why should India be Friends with its Neighbours

Maintaining good relations with neighbours is the first priority for any country and India has always given its
first priority to its neighbouring countries . India is a democratic country where it’s public are authorised to take
decisions for the betterment of the country. India is a famous country for the saying “unit in diversity” because
people of many religions, castes, cultures and traditions stay together with unity. It is a country where diversity
exists with strong unity and peace. Pakistan , China , Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
are the neighbouring countries of India. India has always been kind and given priority to her neighbours and
would continue to do so in future. India’s foreign policy seeks to safeguard the country's enlightened self-
interest. The primary objective of India's foreign policy is to promote and maintain a peaceful and stable external
environment in which the domestic tasks of inclusive economic development and poverty alleviation can progress
rapidly and without obstacles. Given the high priority attached by the Government of India to socio-economic
development, India has a vital stake in a supportive external environment both in our region and globally. India,
therefore, seeks a peaceful periphery and works for good neighbourly relations in its extended neighbourhood.
India's foreign policy also recognizes that the issues such as climate change and energy and food security that
are crucial to India's transformation are global and require global cooperative solutions. India should be friends
with its neighbouring countries as it will retain Harmony and tranquillity. It will also help promoting peace and
security and will also ensure economic progress.

India has a strong relationship with Afghanistan based on cultural and historical link. It is characterized by high
level exchanges. India also announced USD 1 billion assistance for capability building in spheres with relation to
education, women empowerment, energy, infrastructure and strengthening of democratic institutions of
Afghanistan. The special relationship between India and Bhutan has been sustained by the tradition of regular
visits and high level dialogues. Relations with Bhutan developed further in the year of His Majesty's coronation
and the introduction of democracy in Bhutan. India gives utmost importance to its relationship with Maldives.
We want to have a strong partnership with each other. “India is willing to help Maldives in every way possible.
May the friendship between India and Maldives last forever," the Prime Minister said  while receiving the Nishan
Izzuddeen medal which shows that India has maintained a good relationship with Maldives. Sri Lanka has long
been a priority destination for direct investment from India. India is among the four largest overall investors in
Sri Lanka with cumulative investments over US$ 800 million. The People of Indian Origin (PIOs) comprise Sindhis,
Borahs, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayali’s and Telugu speaking persons who have settled down in Sri Lanka
and are engaged in various business ventures.  Relations between the two countries have also matured and
diversified with the passage of time, India and Sri Lanka also enjoy a growing defence relationship.  India and
Bangladesh have signed several India has ensured duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods to Indian market
India’s relationship with Bangladesh is also linked to its relationship with China. India does not want Bangladesh
to become a pearl in China’s  “String of Pearls”  strategy to hem in India by using its neighbours. The Indian
community in China is growing. The Indian community in China is growing. Present estimates put the community
strength to around 35,500. A major part of this comprises of students, who are pursuing courses in various
universities in China. A number of Indians and PIOs are also working as professionals with various multinational
and Indian companies. India’s top exports to China included diamonds, cotton yarn, iron ore, copper and organic
chemicals. India and China signed Education Exchange Programme (EEP), which is an umbrella agreement for
educational cooperation between the two countries. Under this agreement, government scholarships are
awarded to 25 students. Chinese students are also annually awarded scholarships to study Hindi at the Kendriya
Hindi Sansthan, Agra to learn Hindi. For the year 2017-18, 5 Chinese students have been selected to study in
Agra under this scheme which is wonderful news for both the countries .Many people think that India should not
be friends with China as both the countries are the only two emerging countries and are rivals based on
economic and military rivals. China is considered as neighbouring country which can’t be trusted as in 1962 it led
to the Sino- Indian war and they defeated our country as we were not ready. Due to this, our country tend to not
trust China. But everything must be given a second chance. India and China will need to work together in the
coming decades to accommodate differing, competing, even conflicting interests in a cooperative arrangement.
This is to mutual benefit. Both are large and populous, together constituting nearly two-fifths of humanity. Their
primary objective is to eliminate poverty and want, and provide prosperity, or at the very least, livelihood
security to their peoples. One way of achieving this objective might be to replace the balance of power approach
that tends to shape strategic thinking by a civilisation state, humanist approach. This should not be impossible.
China has often said that there has only been a brief interlude of hostility in the several millennia of friendly
relations between us. It’s 2019 and our relationship is getting better with the years passing by. And coming to
India Arch enemy Pakistan. has been the bedrock issue between both the nations and has been an unresolved
boundary dispute. Terrorism, particularly targeting India which is bred on Pakistani soil is yet another major
issue which has mired the relationship. Despite many positive initiatives taken, the India-Pakistan relationship in
recent times has reached an all-time low with some sore issues sticking out.  Pakistan Army ranked world's  13th
most powerful Pakistan  has 140-150 nuclear warheads compared to  India's  130-140 warheads There is no
country on earth which is powerful except Pakistan because It has most powerful geo- strategical location due to
which every super power wants this ideal route to rule the world. The Russia is also Interested in Pakistan to use
the hot and deep water port to boost their economy and Usa wanted this location to check on the Asian super
power China. Afghanistan is also dependent on Pakistan to use their ports as it comparably cheaper than Iranian
ports. If India and Pakistan maintain a good relationship between them then they can both help themselves and
work out together to develop both the countries. There exists an ethno demographic relationship between  India
and Nepal  with high rate of migration, cross-border marriage and family relationships as principal feature of this
relationship. Though there were strains in the initial stages with anti-India feelings, the sworning in as Prime
Minister by Girija Prasad Koirala helped to establish a very cordial relationship.

Thus, India’s relation with her neighbours has not been cordial. In one way or the other we have
misunderstandings with our neighbours. Circumstances forced India, the universal apostle of peace to wage war
with her neighbours particularly Pakistan and China not only once but many times. Smoke still emerges out of
Indo-Pak and Indo- China borders. Illegal activities surrounding the border are posing many threats to India’s
security. In such a scenario India should adopt a stance of initiating meaningful dialogues with its troublesome
neighbours as ‘dialogue is the backbone of diplomacy.’ And with India progressing with leaps and bounds it is
emerging as a major global player in international affairs and now the whole world is looking to it with an
altogether different perspective. India has always advocated that the world cannot have peace if there are
islands of affluence in a sea of poverty. India should be willing to be a partner in development of people less
fortunate. Thus, we must ensure that prosperity is shared. The beginning made with our immediate and
extended neighbours must intensify as India becomes more able. In South Asia, we have shared commonalities
over centuries, derived from civilisational linkages and of living together in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-
lingual, and multi-religious environment. The divisions created by the colonial and imperial onslaught rent
asunder complementarities of economies As India progresses, being the larger nation, it will have to show
leadership. It will need to assuage fears of smaller neighbours and treat them as equal. Indeed, within the
constraints of respecting sovereignty, India should consider the development priorities of our neighbours as its
own. Depending on the willingness of the neighbour, India should be agreeable to participate financially and
otherwise as it might do with the states of the Indian Union. It could integrate India's development plans with
willing regional partners and ensure everyone gains. A similar logic can be applied to our cooperation with the
extended neighbourhood taking into account needs and resources that each side can contribute. India shares a
common destiny with its neighbours. India is committed to fostering the sense of a South Asian Identity through
the SAARC process, enhancing mutual confidence in multiple areas and in trying to leverage India’s rapid
economic growth into win-win arrangements with her neighbours. India remains conscious of this vision of South
Asian Integration in bilateral engagements with her neighbours as well.