New Delhi, August 28: The standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam came to an end on Monday as both the nations mutually agreed to withdraw its forces. The Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement stated that the process of withdrawal of forces from the standoff site has been completed. The 75-day-long tense standoff came to a peaceful end ahead of the BRICS summit next week in China that is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of External Affairs later on Monday said, “Process of withdrawal of forces at Doklam face-off site completed. Agreements reached on boundary issues must be respected. ” Doordarshan tweeted a quote by Ministry saying that ‘peace and tranquillity in the border area is an essential prerequisite before development of bilateral ties’.
In an official response shared by the MEA on the Doklam Disengagement Understanding, official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar laid out a few pointers. According to it, following diplomatic communications, the process of disengagement of border personnel of India and China at Doklam has been completed ‘under verification’.
As per the statement, India has always maintained that only through diplomatic channels the differences on such an issue can be addressed. It also said that the principled position of India in this regard is that agreements and understandings reached must be scrupulously respected.
“The two countries had also agreed in Astana in early June that differences should not be allowed to become disputes and that India-China relations must remain stable,” the statement said. “We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis,” it added.
Earlier on Monday, Indian authorities claimed that both the sides had mutually agreed to withdraw their respective troops. China, however, claimed that the Indian troops have withdrawn to Indian territory and that its army will continue to patrol the area. Chinese Foreign Office also confirmed the disengagement process later.
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