Straight Talk : S Jaishankar Clearly Tells China, Ladakh Face-Off Impacting Bilateral Ties

Picture : Twitter / ANI

In his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar firmly conveyed that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a “negative manner”.  He  rued that there was no forward movement from the Chinese side since the disengagement in Pangong lake areas in February that had created conditions for resolving the remaining issues.

During a one-hour meeting on the sidelines of an Shanghai Cooperation Organisation conclave in Dushanbe, the external affairs minister also told Wang that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control was “not acceptable” to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh.

The two foreign ministers agreed to hold the next round of military dialogue at the earliest and that it should discuss all the remaining issues and seek a mutually acceptable solution, according to the ministry of external affairs .

The in-person meeting took place in the midst of a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff.