War no solution, India will continue to engage with China on Doklam standoff: Sushma Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said that India's roadmap vis-a-vis Pakistan is clear -- that terror and talks cannot go together.

New Delhi: Amid the standoff at Doklam, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said that war is not a solution and the government will keep engaging with China to resolve the dispute.

Replying to a discussion on "India's foreign policy and engagement with strategic partners", Swaraj expressed confidence that a mutually- acceptable solution would be found through talks to the Doklam border stand-off even as it described the Chinese action as a "matter of concern".

"Our stand is that we maintain restraint in language and keep patience and engage in diplomacy. No solution will be gained out of war because even after war, talks are required. A solution cannot be derived out of war," she said.

While recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed during their recent meeting in the Kazakhstan capital that differences should not be allowed to be converted into disputes, the senior Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) leader said, India is engaged with China to resolve differences, not only on the stand-off at Doklam but all matters like border dispute, Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the blocking of UN sanctions against Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit chief Masood Azhar.

While addressing the Upper House, Swaraj said, "Patience is key to resolving problems" because if patience is lost, there can be provocation on the other side."

"We will keep patience to resolve the issue," she said referring to the Doklam stand-off issue with China.

"We will continue to engage with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels to find a mutually acceptable solution on the basis of the Astana consensus between our leaders. I note the sense of the House is supportive," the Minister added said.

In response to questions, she said military readiness is always there as the military is meant to fight wars.

"But war cannot resolve problems. So wisdom is to resolve diplomatically," the external affairs minister asserted.

China and India have been engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction since June after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

India has said Beijing's action to "unilaterally determine tri-junction points" violated a 2012 India-China pact which says the boundary would be decided by consulting all the concerned parties.

The two countries share a little over 200 km of border in the Sikkim sector.

'Talks and terror cannot go together'

Blaming Pakistan for derailing the bilateral dialogue by continuing its support to terrorism and meddling in Kashmir, Swaraj said India will start dialogue with Pakistan the day it stops promoting terrorism against this country.

While rejecting the Opposition contention that the Modi government has no policy with regard to Pakistan, the senior BJP leader said, "But it can't be one-sided... Terror and talks cannot go together. The day they stop promoting terror, we will start the talks."

The External Affairs Minister said that relations with Pakistan deteriorated not after the Pathankot airbase attack in 2016, but after then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called militant commander Burhan Wani a freedom fighter and a martyr after he was killed in a shootout with Indian security forces last June.

Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to land in Lahore on way back from Kabul on December 25, 2015, she said it was part of a peace initiative India had started.

Swaraj hits out at Opposition

While slamming the Opposition for alleging that the foreign policy was faulty and vehemently rejected the charge that India was standing isolated at the world stage, Swaraj asserted in the Rajya Sabha that the country's foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was so strong that India was setting the world agenda.

She said the "concerns" voiced by the Congress regarding Chinese involvement in construction of Gwadar port in Pakistan and Hambantota in Sri Lanka were "born" during the previous UPA rule and the present government was settling these.

She also rejected the Opposition contention that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not taking her into consideration with regard to the foreign policy.

"You say that India stands alone. This is far from the truth... All countries are with India... What I am saying is with evidence," she told the opposition.

Swaraj said it was due to the success of the new foreign policy that both the US and Russia are with India and so are Israel and Palestine as also Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Germany, France, European Union, United Kingdom are also friends and so is the UAE, she added.

"India's foreign policy is so good now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is setting the global agenda on the world stage," she said and cited example of how he played a crucial role at the Paris Climate Summit and at G-20 or other world fora.

Sushma Swaraj slams Rahul Gandhi

Swaraj slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for meeting Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui amid the military stand-off between India and China over the Doklam row.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, Amid the ongoing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the Doklam area, it was sad that a leader of the principle Opposition party met the Chinese envoy, instead of talking to the government.

"I was very saddened that the opposition, instead of considering the point of view of the Indian government, went and met the Chinese Ambassador," said Swaraj.

"They did not try to understand the situation (the border standoff) from the Indian government, instead approached the Chinese counterpart to get their point of view," she added.