The fact that China has not observed bilateral agreements on the border issue has disturbed the foundations of India’s ties with China, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday. Speaking in Moscow, where he will hold talks with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday, Jaishankar said for the last one year, there had been a lot of concern about the relationship because China had not observed agreements that “it had signed up to when it came to our border”.

“After 45 years, we actually had a border incident with casualties. And peace and tranquillity on the border, for any country, is the foundation of a relationship with a neighbour. So naturally the foundationship (sic) has got disturbed, so has the relationship,” said the minister. India and China had last year arrived at a 5-point consensus in Moscow to resolve the LAC stand-off. The disengagement process remains far from complete though despite India repeatedly saying that early and complete disengagement is necessary for overall development of ties. Jaishankar said though that there was no nuclear arms race between India and China.

In the talks with Lavrov on Friday, the two countries are expected to focus on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking on ties with Russia, at a time many believe the relationship has been strained by India’s growing ties with the US and Moscow’s own embrace of Pakistan, Jaishankar said at the core of India-Russia contemporary ties is the embrace of multi-polarity and that the operating principle of a multi-polar world was the legitimate pursuit of flexibility without seeking exclusivity.

“We must also recognise that translating a multi-polar algorithm on the ground is not easy it is much harder than it sounds,” he said, adding that a key concern even while widening options is to ensure consistent sensitivity to the interests of a critical strategic partner. Even as Russia refuses to acknowledge the Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar said the ability of India and Russia to work together on the initiative is facilitated by their shared belief in the centrality of the ASEAN.

“On the political front, it is essential for India and Russia to work together to ensure the stability and diversity of the world. This includes insistence on honouring pacts and observing laws. On the economic side, there is a growing realisation on the importance of resilient and reliable supply chains. Our collaboration can surely add to the options before the world, as we have already seen in the case of vaccines,” said Jaishankar.

(With inputs from agencies)