Madhav said that the time tested concept of bilaterism is needed to be used while dealing with any border issue be it China, Pakistan, or the recent development with Nepal or in future. “We have always said we will handle it bilaterally. We have learnt in past seven decades how to handle…There is power asymmetry (with China) but we feel that bilateral principal should not be given up on border issues,” he said.
He maintained that India’s security challenges lie to the west of its geography while economic opportunity lies in east. “The new growing arc from Pakistan to Turkey is a security challenge while in Indo-Pacific there is big economic opportunity,” he said.