India's neighbourly ties 'healthy', no point scoring in foreign policy: Jaishankar to Manish Tewari

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India's ties with its neighbours were healthy and it was not into point scoring on the issue of ties with neighbours.

Jaishankar was responding to Congress MP Manish Tewari who cited instances to ask whether India's neighbours, too, had India first policy like we had a neighbourhood first policy.

Speaking in the question hour, Tewari framed his query in the landscape of developments in the neighbourhood.

"India was the eighth country the new President of Maldives visited after being elected on an oust India campaign; China was first country the newly elected Napalese PM visited and signed the belt and road initiative; 12.95 % of Sri Lanka's external debt was still held by China giving China economic leverage over Sri Lanka;

Sino Bhutan border negotiations were in advanced stages while Doklam was in play and Bangladesh continued to be in turmoil," Tewari said.

Jaishankar for his part cited cases of improved bilateral ties with the neighbours and said it was not his nature to make foreign policy a partisan matter.

"If there is a desire to somehow show foreign policy of this government in bad light for political purposes that is the member's privilege and is up to him but it is not in my nature to make foreign policy a partisan matter," the minister said.

He, however, said in the Lok Sabha that if one looked today at the number of development  projects, volume of trade, number of exchanges taking place with the neighbours, the answer is -- yes neighbours give India the same priority as India gives its neighbours barring China and Pakistan.

"Our neighbours also have their politics. There are ups and downs in their countries. It will have some implications for us but we are mature and we do not get into point scoring," Jaishankar said.

He said before Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Nepal, for 17 years there was no visit from India to Nepal.

"Does that mean no one in India cared for Nepal?

There were no bilateral visits to Sri Lanka for 30 years before PM Modi went there. So yes, visits are important and these are also subject to timing, convenience and agenda," the minister said.

He said with the NDA government, in Maldives a major project was inaugurated to provide 24 islands with water and sewage facilities.

"Maldives president was present at the oath taking of this government. The very Maldives the MP is talking about had driven Indian companies out in 2012. The same Sri Lanka was the place where a major port was built by China in 2008. Same Bangladesh was giving support to terrorists till 2014. Same Myanmar was posting in India insurgent groups...," said Jaishankar.

The minister, responding to Tewari's supplementary on whether all patrolling points along the LAC were open to Indian forces now, said the last of disengagement agreements had taken place for Depsang and Demchok.

"The understanding envisages that Indian security forces would be going to all the patrolling points in Depsang and would be going to the eastward limit, which is historically our patrol limit in that part. We have had some previous disengagement agreements which also have certain provisions where both sides on a temporary basis had agreed to put certain restraints on themselves. I urge the MP to read my statement to Parliament on the issue," the minister said.