India, China initiate troop disengagement in eastern Ladakh

Defence officials stated that the disengagement of troops of India and China has begun at two friction points in Demchok and Depsang Plains in the Eastern Ladakh sector reported news agency ANIFollowing recent agreements Indian troops have begun relocating equipment to rear positions in these areas said the officialsOn October 21 India announced it had reached a consensus with China regarding patrolling along the Line of Actual Control LAC effectively ending a military standoff that has lasted for over four yearsDuring an event in New Delhi on Thursday Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised that both nations had agreed to restore the ground situation based on principles of mutual security This includes restoration of patrolling and grazing to traditional areas he addedSingh attributed the progress in ties to the power of engaging in continuous dialogue because sooner or later solutions will emerge stated ANIIndia and China have been involved in talks both at diplomatic and military levels to resolve their differences in certain areas along the LAC A broad consensus has been achieved to restore ground situation based on the principles of equal and mutual security said the Defence Minister at the second Chanakya Defence DialoguePrime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday during the BRICS Summit in Russia where they welcomed the newly reached agreement on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in eastern LadakhPM Modi reiterated that maintaining peace and stability along the border should be a priority for both nations and that mutual trust is essential for bilateral relationsHe added that maintaining peace between the two nations is important not only for the people of the two nations but also for global peace stability and progressThe border tensions between India and China began in 2020 due to aggressive military actions by China in eastern Ladakh leading to significant strain in their relationsForeign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the media following the BRICS summit stating that during Modis meeting with Xi both leaders welcomed the agreement reached between the two sides through sustained dialogue over the last several weeks in diplomatic as well as military channelsPM Modi underscored the importance of not allowing differences on boundaryrelated matters to disturb peace and tranquillity on our borders The two leaders noted that the special representatives on the IndiaChina boundary question have a critical role to play in the resolution of the boundary question and for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas the Foreign Secretary addedHe asserted that The restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas will create space for returning us towards the path of normalisation of our bilateral relations Officials will now take the next steps to discuss enhancing strategic communication and stabilising bilateral relations by utilising the relevant official bilateral dialogue mechanisms including at the level of our respective foreign ministersExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also confirmed on October 22 that India has reached an agreement with China to restore patrolling arrangements along the LAC to preMay 2020 conditionsWith inputs from ANI