On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kazan, Moscow for the 16th edition of the BRICS Summit, Indian and Chinese negotiators have reached an agreement on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
While the details of the expected meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have not been announced yet, it is expected to take place on Oct 23, 2024 on the sidelines of the summit in Kazan.
Responding to media questions at a special briefing ahead of the PM’s visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday that the patrolling arrangement that has been reached between the two sides, could lead to disengagement and resolution of the conflict.
It has been reported previously by Financial Express Online that the ties between the two neighbours have been strained since clashes between their armies along the Line of Actual Control for almost four and a half years. In June 2020 due to clashes between the troops 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
Misri, said diplomatic and military negotiators of the two countries had held several rounds of talks over the past few weeks.
He further added that these talks have resulted in an agreement on “patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had risen in these areas in 2020”.
Over the past four years, slow progress on diplomatic and military talks to end the standoff hurt business relations between the world’s two most populous nations with New Delhi tightening scrutiny of investments from Chinese firms and halting major projects.
According to the foreign secretary in an effort to resolve the remaining issues, the Indian and Chinese negotiators were in touch over the last few weeks.
As per officials, the agreement reached between the two sides relates to patrolling in Depsang and Demchok areas.