New Delhi: The troops of Indian armed forces are conducting patrolling in Demchok and Depsang along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to verify the disengagement process of frontline forces of India and China after a stand-off between both countries, which went on for nearly four years.
Earlier, the two countries reached an agreement on October 21. Under the agreement, both sides were meant for disengagement purposes and to sort out the issues that led to a face-off between the two countries in the last couple of years. After the agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Midi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first bilateral meeting between leaders of both sides since 2019 Russia’s Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
Verification of patrolling begins on mutual agreement: MEA
Speaking to the media, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that as a result of recent talks with China, the verification patrolling began on mutually agreed terms between both sides in areas of Depsang and Demchok. He was referring to the two “friction points” on the LAC that were the main points of discussions between India and China at various levels over the past two years.
Earlier on Thursday, Indian and Chinese troops exchanged sweets along the LAC on the occasion of Diwali. The exchange of sweets was witnessed a day after both countries completed troop disengagement at the two friction points. According to the news agency PTI, areas and patrolling status were to be moved back to the level that was before April 2020.
October agreement significance
The October agreement between India and China marked a significant development between both sides for reduced tension along the LAC in the Ladakh region since the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred. The incident had led to further deterioration of ties.
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