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PM Modi -XI Kazan meeting likely after China restores India’s patrolling rights in Depsang
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that an agreement has been reached on patrolling arrangements in the India-China border area along the Line of Actual Control
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Kazan, Russia, to attend the 16th summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) grouping, is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. PM Modi-Xi’s meeting holds historical significance as recently China has agreed to restore the Indian army’s patrolling rights in the Depsang plains and Demchock region after four years standoff.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced at a special briefing in New Delhi on Monday that an agreement has been reached on patrolling arrangements in the India-China border area along the Line of Actual Control. Misri said, “This is leading to disengagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020.”
Misri said that over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact in various forums. He added, “As a result of these discussions, an agreement has been reached on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020. ”
Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said at the media event that with this agreement in place, Indian and Chinese soldiers will be able to resume patrolling in the way they had been doing before the border face-off in May 2020. He said, “LAC breakthrough is a good development due to patience and preserving diplomacy.”
In May 2020, China moved thousands of troops and blocked India’s patrolling points. Economic Times reported that with this agreement in place, Indian troops will be able to carry patrolling in Depsang Plains located in North Ladakh and Demchock in the southern part, up to the old patrolling points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) from point 10 to 13 in Depsang Plains. The disengagement in Depsang was complicated as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had established a permanent presence at the ‘Y’ junction and was reluctant to return.
The ‘Y’ junction is the access point that enables Indian troops to reach patrolling points.