Foreign Minister Jaishankar expressed concern about the tension between India and China and said that the current situation between the two countries has not benefited any country.
Jaishankar, at a panel discussion on Monday evening, stressed on reducing troop presence and maintaining existing agreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
“I think it is in the interest of both of us that we should not deploy too many troops along the Line of Actual Control,” he said. I think it's in our best interest to abide by the agreement we signed. This is not only in the interest of India but also in the interest of China. No one has benefited from the tension between the two countries in the last four years.
It would be better to resolve this as soon as possible
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also emphasized that India has always been committed to a fair and rational resolution of the border dispute and accepts the LAC. He said that the sooner we resolve this dispute, the better it will be for both of us.
This statement of Jaishankar has come at a time when several rounds of talks have taken place with China regarding the border dispute. Tension has continued between India and China since June 2020 when there was a clash in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have taken place between the two countries to resolve the deadlock, but no solution has been reached so far. For now, both sides have agreed to maintain peace.
Asked about China's offer to resolve the border dispute, Jaishankar said that if a country is involved in resolving the border dispute, it has to accept that it should be resolved.
He said this about Russia, China and Pakistan
Jaishankar also expressed his views about coming closer to Russia and China. He said that if Russia and China are coming closer then it is not an issue. This is not India's work. Our policy towards Russia is very clear and objective.
On talks with Pakistan, the External Affairs Minister said that India has never closed its doors for talks with Pakistan but the issue of terrorism should be at the center of talks in a fair and clear manner. He said that the issue of terrorism should be at the center of the conversation. There are other issues too but talking about the issue of terrorism cannot be avoided.