The points were detailed in a joint statement and while the test, as far as India is concerned, lies in Chinese troops falling back on the ground, China’s Foreign Minister. Wang YiComments in Moscow on Friday offer hope for a breakthrough. “We are ready to take conciliatory measures … The most important thing is to avoid further violations of border obligations. Troops and equipment must withdraw from the Royal Line of Control,” Wang said during a press conference with the Russian foreigner. . Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to an ANI report.
With the India-China discussions brewing into a joint statement, the in-person meeting between the foreign minister was expected to S Jaishankar and Wang could produce results that could restart the stalled disengagement, which has escalated hostilities and tensions with troops within a few hundred meters of each other in various locations in LAC. Before the meeting, Indian forces had taken over key points in the Pangong Tso area, giving the Indian side a crucial influence in the discussions that took place in Moscow.
The statement said the two sides will avoid any action that makes matters worse and abide by all existing agreements and protocols on border issues between China and India, as well as maintaining peace and quiet in the border areas. She also noted that once the situation improves, the two sides should accelerate work to conclude “new confidence-building measures” to keep calm along the border.
The political understanding reached in Moscow will now have to be translated on the ground in negotiations between the military commanders of both sides, who will have to resolve the nitty-gritty and verification. Thursday night’s discussion was often heated, described in diplomatic language as “frank and constructive.” The essence of the result was that the two parties forged the broad contours of a process of separation, a result that had eluded both parties.
This would be easier to achieve for the Indian side than for the Chinese, considering that, as seen during the Doklam crisis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and the PLA had different perceptions. However, since a joint statement was reached, Wang could be expected to be working on a report authorized by top Communist Party leaders.
Meanwhile, the two armies remain in engagement positions in different areas throughout LAC, mainly on the northern and southern shores of Pangong Tso. Since the end of August, when the Indian army acquired some tactical advantages on the heights of Ladakh, the Chinese army has been relentless in its attempt to dislodge the Indian troops.
The joint statement said, “The two sides also agreed to continue to maintain dialogue and communication through the special representation mechanism on the India-China border issue. They also agreed in this context that the working mechanism for consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) should also continue its meetings. ” In recent weeks, both the meetings of the military commanders and the WMCC have been inconclusive, with no agreement on withdrawal.
The transgressions in LAC, the unusually high concentration of troops and the violence in recent months have practically buried all existing agreements, something to which both sides have repeatedly referred to in angry statements. The reaffirmation of existing agreements is expected to help the two countries overcome the current crisis, as ministers agreed that new border management agreements and new CBMs would have to be worked out.
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