Kumar Bahukhandi
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday October 21, 2024 said that India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements that will allow a return to the status quo before May 2020. Border tensions in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 were triggered by actions by the Chinese military. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Jaishankar said it was a “positive and good” development. Jaishankar referred to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s comments on the agreement on patrolling points along the Line of Actual Control. “What the foreign secretary has said, I can also say that we have reached an agreement on patrolling and with that we are back to where the situation was in 2020.
We can say that the disengagement process with China is complete… There are areas which we had disengaged after 2020 for various reasons because they had stopped us. So what has happened is that we have reached an understanding that will allow patrolling,” he said. He said, “I think as per my information we will be able to do the patrolling that we were doing in 2020. I think this is a good development. This is a positive development and I would say this is the result of a lot of patience and very firm diplomacy.
We have been talking since September 2020, when I met my counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow at that time… I think this creates a basis that the peace and tranquility, which should be in the border areas, which was there before 2020, we will be able to return to that.” The Chinese army’s actions in 2020 on the LAC in eastern Ladakh had put bilateral relations under “extraordinary strain”. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who addressed a special media briefing ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Russia for the BRICS summit, said India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The agreement comes ahead of the BRICS summit that will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Misri said discussions with Chinese interlocutors have resulted in a consensus on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.
He said this is leading to de-escalation of tensions and eventually resolving issues that cropped up following the Chinese army’s actions in eastern Ladakh in 2020. “As informed earlier, we have been in discussions with Chinese interlocutors through the WMCC and at the military level as well as through meetings of military commanders at various levels. These discussions have resulted in resolution of standoffs at various places in the past. You are also aware that there were some places where the standoff was not resolved,” he said.
“Discussions over the last several weeks have now resulted in an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas and this is reducing tensions and ultimately resolving issues that had cropped up in these areas in 2020.” Although no information is yet available about PM Modi’s bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the agreement on patrolling arrangements could pave the way for a meeting between PM Modi and the Chinese President.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said after the final Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) meeting in August that the two sides “exchanged candid, constructive and far-sighted views on the situation along the LAC to narrow down differences”. “In line with the guidance provided by the two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to expedite their discussions, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, the two sides exchanged candid, constructive and far-sighted views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down differences and find an early resolution of outstanding issues.
To this end, they agreed to maintain intensive contacts through diplomatic and military channels,” the MEA said in a release. It said the two sides have decided to jointly maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with the relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings between the two governments.
The release reiterated that restoration of peace and tranquility and respect for the LAC are essential foundations for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations. The WMCC meeting was held in Beijing. Prime Minister Modi will visit Russia on October 22 and 23 to attend the 16th BRICS Summit being held in Kazan under the chairmanship of Russia. The theme of the summit is ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Growth and Security’, which will provide an important platform for the leaders to discuss key global issues. The summit will provide a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and identify potential areas for future cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release. Prime Minister Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and invited leaders of BRICS member countries, it said.
( Source ANI)
