The conclusion of disengagement between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh has set relations between the two countries in the direction of some improvement, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Jaishankar said that full disengagement had been achieved in eastern Ladakh through a step by step process.
This was the foreign minister’s first statement to Parliament since New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement in October on patrolling arrangements in Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok.
It is “now our expectation that discussions would commence in regard to the remaining issues” on the agenda, Jaishankar said. “The next priority will be to consider de-escalation, that would address the massing of troops along the LAC,” he added.
The agreement signed in October, Jaishankar said, aims to restore patrolling to previous points and resume grazing by civilians in Depsang and Demchok, as per long-standing practices.
He said that “steps of a temporary and limited nature”, which can be revisited “as the situation demands”, had been worked out to prevent problems in areas where military face-offs took place in 2020.
“In that sense, our stance has been resolute and firm and serves our national interest fully,” Jaishankar added.
The external affairs minister said that he had reached an understanding with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the special representative and foreign secretary-level talks should be convened soon.
Border tensions between India and China escalated in June 2020 when a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control. It led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. Beijing said that the clash left four of its soldiers dead.
Initial rounds of disengagement occurred at various points of tension, including Galwan Valley, Hot Springs and Pangong Tso, but Demchok and Depsang had remained points of contention.
Since the Galwan clashes, China and India have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve their border standoff.
The agreement reached in October includes the removal of temporary structures in the contested areas, marking the first stage of a three-step process: disengagement, de-escalation and de-induction of troops that have been deployed there for over four years.
On Tuesday, the external affairs minister told Parliament that both countries must respect and observe the Line of Actual Control, neither side should attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo and past agreements must be fully upheld.
The problem in these two areas primarily involved obstructions to India’s long-standing patrolling activities, he said. “In Demchok, there was also the question of access by our nomadic population to traditional grazing grounds, as well as to sites of significance to the local people,” he said.
Following negotiations, the two sides reached an understanding that has led to the resumption of patrolling in traditional areas, Jaishankar said. “It was initially tested by sending out patrols for verification of disengagement on the ground and is being followed up by regular activities as per the agreed understanding,” he added.
Also read: Why the India-China agreement does not mean a return to status quo
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