NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced on Monday that India and China have come to an agreement regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in border areas.
"Over the last few weeks, Indian and Chinese negotiators have been in touch with each other," Misri said while addressing a press conference.
"India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020 and we will be taking the next steps on this," Misri added while briefing the press.
The foreign secretary made these remarks while addressing a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Kazan, Russia for BRICS summit.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar confirmed that "the disengagement process with China has been completed".
"There are areas which for various reasons after 2020 because they had blocked us so we had blocked them. So what has happened is we have reached an understanding which will allow the patrolling. I think the understanding to my knowledge is that we will be able to do the patrolling which we were doing in 2020. I think it's a good development. It's a positive development and I would say it's a product of very patient and very persevering diplomacy," Jaishankar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He further said: "We've been negotiating since September 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi, in Moscow at that time...I think it creates a basis that peace and tranquility, which there should be in the border areas, which there was before 2020, we will be able to come back to that..."
Earlier in August, India and China held a discussion over the situation along the LAC and decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground.
The two sides narowed down their differences and sought to find early resolution of the outstanding issues. For this, they further agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels.
The relationship between India and China, two nuclear-armed neighbors, has remained fraught with tension since the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in 2020. This incident marked a turning point, prompting India to increase scrutiny of Chinese investments and suspend several significant projects aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation.
In an effort to resolve the ongoing standoff, both nations have engaged in multiple rounds of corps commanders-level talks. Progress has been slow, but a notable development occurred in September 2022 when both sides undertook disengagement along the LAC. Troops were withdrawn from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of Eastern Ladakh, a crucial step towards de-escalation. The establishment of buffer zones along the LAC provided a framework for potential resolutions.
The stagnation in diplomatic and military negotiations over the past four years has adversely impacted business relations between the two nations. In response to the continued tensions, India had tightened its scrutiny of investments from Chinese firms and halted several major projects.
"Over the last few weeks, Indian and Chinese negotiators have been in touch with each other," Misri said while addressing a press conference.
"India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020 and we will be taking the next steps on this," Misri added while briefing the press.
The foreign secretary made these remarks while addressing a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Kazan, Russia for BRICS summit.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar confirmed that "the disengagement process with China has been completed".
"There are areas which for various reasons after 2020 because they had blocked us so we had blocked them. So what has happened is we have reached an understanding which will allow the patrolling. I think the understanding to my knowledge is that we will be able to do the patrolling which we were doing in 2020. I think it's a good development. It's a positive development and I would say it's a product of very patient and very persevering diplomacy," Jaishankar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He further said: "We've been negotiating since September 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi, in Moscow at that time...I think it creates a basis that peace and tranquility, which there should be in the border areas, which there was before 2020, we will be able to come back to that..."
Earlier in August, India and China held a discussion over the situation along the LAC and decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground.
The two sides narowed down their differences and sought to find early resolution of the outstanding issues. For this, they further agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels.
The relationship between India and China, two nuclear-armed neighbors, has remained fraught with tension since the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in 2020. This incident marked a turning point, prompting India to increase scrutiny of Chinese investments and suspend several significant projects aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation.
In an effort to resolve the ongoing standoff, both nations have engaged in multiple rounds of corps commanders-level talks. Progress has been slow, but a notable development occurred in September 2022 when both sides undertook disengagement along the LAC. Troops were withdrawn from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of Eastern Ladakh, a crucial step towards de-escalation. The establishment of buffer zones along the LAC provided a framework for potential resolutions.
The stagnation in diplomatic and military negotiations over the past four years has adversely impacted business relations between the two nations. In response to the continued tensions, India had tightened its scrutiny of investments from Chinese firms and halted several major projects.
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