New Delhi: India strongly raised the deployment of large number of troops and military equipment by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. India also conveyed its concern during the talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. This information was given by government sources Friday.
The Indian delegation raised the issue of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) massing troops in eastern Ladakh. They raised the issue as the two foreign ministers reached a five-point agreement. The agreement will guide the two countries in resolving the border standoff in eastern Ladakh. The meeting Thursday evening in Moscow lasted two-and-a-half hours.
Jaishankar and Wang were in the Russian capital to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
At the talks, government sources said the Indian side conveyed to the Chinese delegation certain concerns. They said the presence of a large concentration of the PLA troops was not correct. It was not in accordance with the bilateral pacts of 1993 and 1996 on border affairs.
China has deployed a large number of troops and weapons along the LAC in the last few weeks. This happened after the border standoff erupted in early May.
The Indian delegation also had another point to convey to the Chinese side. It said the provocative behavior of the PLA at friction points on the LAC showed its disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols.
“The Indian side clearly conveyed that it expected full adherence to all agreements on management of border areas. It was also emphasised that the Indian troops had scrupulously followed all agreements and protocols pertaining to the management of the border areas,” said a source.
Jaishankar told Wang that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border areas was essential to the forward development of ties. The external affairs minister also conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the recent incidents in eastern Ladakh inevitably impacted the development of the bilateral relationship. He told Wang that an urgent resolution of the current situation was in the interest of both the nations.
The Indian side insisted that the immediate task should be to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all the friction areas. It asserted that it was necessary to prevent any untoward incident in the future, the sources said.
