NEW DELHI - India, which hosts South Asia's biggest air show next week, has not invited arch-rival Pakistan, China or Iran to the biennial event, organizers said on Feb. 1.
"Invitations to the air show have not been sent to China, Pakistan and Iran, but these are decided by the foreign ministry," defense production secretary R.K. Singh told a news conference in New Delhi.
Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars since their 1947 independence from the British, have no military-to-military contacts.
Trade links in recent years have improved between India and China, who fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962, but strategic ties are frosty as territorial disputes remain unresolved despite rounds of negotiations.
Singh did not comment on New Delhi's decision to block Iran from the event.
Aero India 2011, which begins on Feb. 9, has invited a delegation from war-torn Afghanistan, Singh said, as part of India's national policy to build better ties with the country.
"We have good cooperation with Afghanistan and so we are delighted it is sending a delegation to the air show. We want such cooperation to grow," Singh said.
About 350 official and trade delegations from 30 countries including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Germany and the United States will participate in the five-day event, the organizer said.
"Invitations to the air show have not been sent to China, Pakistan and Iran, but these are decided by the foreign ministry," defense production secretary R.K. Singh told a news conference in New Delhi.
Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars since their 1947 independence from the British, have no military-to-military contacts.
Trade links in recent years have improved between India and China, who fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962, but strategic ties are frosty as territorial disputes remain unresolved despite rounds of negotiations.
Singh did not comment on New Delhi's decision to block Iran from the event.
Aero India 2011, which begins on Feb. 9, has invited a delegation from war-torn Afghanistan, Singh said, as part of India's national policy to build better ties with the country.
"We have good cooperation with Afghanistan and so we are delighted it is sending a delegation to the air show. We want such cooperation to grow," Singh said.
About 350 official and trade delegations from 30 countries including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Germany and the United States will participate in the five-day event, the organizer said.
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