According to Kwatra, the Prime Minister emphasized that maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and respecting the LAC is essential for normalizing India-China relations.
The Foreign Secretary said that in this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their respective officials to speed up the process of withdrawal of troops and to intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions. Kwatra said Modi held talks with the group’s leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
It is reported that there was a conversation between Modi and Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
Kwatra said Modi spoke to Xi on the sidelines of the summit and conveyed India’s concerns, including the importance of respecting the Line of Actual Control, to normalize ties.
The Foreign Secretary said, “The Prime Minister interacted with other BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. In a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister mentioned India’s concerns over the unresolved issues on the LAC in the western sector of the Indo-China border areas.
“The Prime Minister stressed that maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and respecting the LAC is essential for the normalization of India-China relations,” he said.
“In this regard, the two leaders agreed to instruct their respective officials to quickly withdraw troops and intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions,” Kwatra said.
The government calls the eastern Ladakh region as the western region.
In May 2020, relations between India and China became strained after a border dispute erupted in eastern Ladakh. Indian and Chinese troops are locked in clashes in some parts of eastern Ladakh, while both sides have completed the process of disengagement from several areas after extensive diplomatic and military negotiations.
India and China held the 19th round of Corps Commander-level talks on August 13 and 14 that focused on resolving outstanding issues in the standoff areas of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh.
The foreign secretary did not respond to a question on whether Prime Minister Modi has invited Xi Jinping for the G20 summit in New Delhi.
A joint statement described the talks as “positive, constructive and in-depth” and both sides agreed to quickly resolve the remaining issues.
Days after a fresh round of high-level talks, local commanders of both armies held a series of talks in two separate locations in Daepsang and Demchok to resolve the issues.
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