New Delhi (NVI): Hours after the Chinese ambassador to India claimed that troops of both countries have disengaged in most areas at Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Ministry of External Affairs said that there has been some progress but the disengagement process has not been completed yet.
“There has been some progress made towards this objective (disengagement of troops) but the disengagement process has as yet not been completed,” External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, adding that the Senior Commanders of the two sides will be meeting in the near future to work out steps in this regard.
The MEA reaction came after Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said border troops of both countries “have disengaged in most localities” and China was not a strategic threat to India.
“To move #China-#India relations forward, I believe that we need to straighten our views on several key issues. First, #China is committed to peaceful development, and is not a “strategic threat”to #India,” the Chinese envoy said in a tweet earlier today.
Speaking on the current situation at LAC and with regard to the Chinese ambassador’s statement today, the MEA spokesperson said that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship.
“Therefore, we expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas at the earliest as agreed to by the Special Representatives,” he said.
Srivastava recalled the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism held on July 24 in which the two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western sector.
“They agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquility was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations,” he said.
“This was also the agreement reached between the two Special Representatives, NSA and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in their conversation on 5th July,” he added.
-ARK
