Agencies
NEW DELHI, Aug 30: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the "era of uninterrupted dialogue" with Pakistan is over even as he noted that India is "not passive" and whether events take a positive or negative direction, either way New Delhi will react.
In his address at a book launch here, Jaishankar also said for any country in the world, neighbours are "always a conundrum", and so are "major powers".
Major powers will be a conundrum because they are major, because of the breadth of their interests. They will always have an agenda, which will overlap with us, but to differing degrees, also diverge, he said.
In the case of China, you have a "double conundrum", because it's a neighbour and a major power. So, the challenges with China fits this double definition, he added.
The book "Strategic Conundrum: Reshaping India's Foreign Policy" by former diplomat Rajiv Sikri talks about India's relationship with its neighbouring countries and the accompanying challenges.
Jaishankar also said there is debate in the neighbourhood about SAARC and BIMSTEC, and "all of you know the difference".
That is a contrast which illustrates some of the challenges and opportunities of "regionalisation", he said.
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