India is a safe country, reiterates Krishna

New Delhi, Dec 30 (ANI): Reacting to travel alerts issued by the USA and the UK to their citizens visiting India, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday reiterated that India is a safe country.

Interacting with the media here, Krishna said the US and UK have recommended that their citizens defer all non-essential travel to southern Andhra Pradesh, which is witnessing violence over the demand of a separate state Telangana.

Krishna also assured foreign visitors that they are totally safe in the country.

"India is a very safe country; you can find thousands of foreigners who have been freely going about wherever they feel like. I would like to assure the foreign tourists, visitors and others that they don't have to worry about it," Krishna said.

He also said that India wants to maintain cordial relations with China, even after China agreed to supply 36 J-10 fighter aircraft to India's arch-foe Pakistan.

"Let us not get it into another speculative area. I have said that and I want to repeat it again in the dying days of 2009 that India-China border is peaceful, it is tranquillised and it is India's desire to maintain and tranquillity at our border and we will continue to do it," Krishna noted.

Mentioning Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's statement on the visa policy that he spelt out in the free social networking and micro-blogging service - Twitter, Krishna said: "There could be certain perceptions as I have said in my statement earlier."

"There are different perceptions and I think that there are methods and procedures where we could sort out those issues and I am sure that Mr. Tharoor understands that," he added. (ANI)