India has no extra-territorial ambitions, says army chief

new delhi — India has no extraterritorial ambitions, but its aim is to enure a conducive external and internal security environment for unhindered economic progress and socio-political development, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said.

Contested sovereignty of maritime territories pose a major challenge in East Asia and the South China Sea and these disputed maritime boundaries are threatening international waters, Gen Rawat said, speaking at a seminar on ‘Evolving Geo-Politics of the IndoPacific Region-Challenges and Prospects’ .Harinder Sidhu, the high commissioner of Australia to India, who also delivered a special address at the seminar, said if invited, Australia is willing to join the Malabar Exercise. “It makes sense for Australia to exercise with whom we work closely in Indian and Pacific Oceans,” Sidhu said.

Malabar is a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan, and Australia is keen on joining the naval drill.

She said with shared interest, its strategic location in the Indo-Pacific, Australia should also be considered in the top ranks of India’s partnerships. In his keynote address, Gen Rawat said, “Our security policy flows from two basic cardinals. That is, we have no extra-territorial ambitions and we have no desire to transplant our ideologies on others”. —

Our security policy flows from two basic cardinals. That is, we have no extra-territorial ambitions and we have no desire to transplant our ideologies on others.

General Bipin Rawat, Army chief