By Aminul Islam Mirja
NEW DELHI, July 6, 2020 (BSS) – India and China have agreed to “ensure complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility”.
The agreement came as National Security Adviser of India Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi had a telephonic conversation on Sunday, right before the Chinese troops were reportedly moved back by at least one kilometer from the Gulwan valley.
At least 20 India soldiers were killed and several others injured during a clash with Chinese troops on June 15 at the Guulwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.
The special representative level talks came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to a Ladakh forward post where the premier addressed the India troops.
“The talks were held in a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas”, a statement of Indian External Affairs Ministry said here this afternoon.
During the talks, they agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of the bilateral relations and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes.
“In this regard they further agreed that both sides should complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC expeditiously. The two sides should also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation in the India-China border areas,” the statement said.
They re-affirmed that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquility in border areas.
According to the statement, the two special representatives agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions and implement the understandings reached in a timely manner to achieve the above outcomes.
“It was also agreed that the two Special Representatives will continue their conversations to ensure full and enduring restoration of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols,” the statement read.
However, media reports in India today claimed that China has withdrawn its troops by at least a kilometer and dismantled its temporary structures in Ladakh’s Galwan river valley. Indian soldiers have also pulled back and a buffer zone has been created, NDTV reported quoting sources.