India and China agree to resume Army patrolling along LAC in eastern Ladakh

Jaishankar describes breakthrough as product of patient diplomacy between the two nations

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, India on Monday said that it has reached an agreement with China to resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh "leading to disengagement."

The announcement came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for the 16th BRICS Summit which will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The breakthrough aimed at ending over four-year-long military standoff and also paves the way for a likely meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan this week.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, at a media briefing on Modi's visit to Russia for the BRICS summit, said the agreement was finalised following negotiations by the two sides over the last several weeks and that it will lead to a resolution of the issues that had arisen in 2020.

Misri highlighted that this agreement marks a crucial phase in de-escalating the military presence in these regions. The process is expected to lead to a resolution of the border issues that have strained bilateral relations.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, meanwhile, said Indian and Chinese soldiers will be able to resume patrolling in the way they had been doing before the border face-off began and the disengagement process with China has been completed.

It is understood that the agreement will facilitate patrolling in the Depsang and Demchok areas, as there were major unresolved issues in these two regions.