Foreign Minister S.K. Jaishankar said Saturday that the top commanders of the Indian and Chinese forces have held nine rounds of talks to withdraw troops in eastern Ladakh and that such talks will continue in the future. Speaking to reporters in Vijayawada, Jaishankar said the talks have so far not seen any significant impact.
“The issue of soldiers’ retreat is very complicated. It depends on the army. You have to be aware of your (geographical) location and events. Military commanders are working on it.”
Jaishankar was responding to a question on whether the cabinet could hold talks between the two countries over a verbal exchange between India and China. India and China have been in military conflict since May 5 in eastern Ladakh. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have been held between the two countries to end the crisis, but so far no solution has been found.
The Foreign Minister said, “Army commanders have held nine rounds of talks so far. We think that some progress has been made but this cannot be seen as a solution. No significant effect of these negotiations has ever been found.
Jaishankar pointed to talks between the foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries in Moscow last year, saying that at some point in the conversation there was an agreement to move back. “Currently, there is a dialogue between military commanders and such talks continue,” he said.
Commenting on the recently presented budget, Jaishankar said it was important for the defense sector to increase both fiscal budget and capital expenditure. The Minister said that capital expenditure has been increased by 18 per cent, which is according to me, the highest in the last 15 years. Returning workers from the Gulf countries have begun to return during the Kovid-19 epidemic, which is a good sign, he said.
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