No contradiction in position: MEA on Army Chief's 'standoff' remarks

Gen Dwivedi had said there is still a "degree" of standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries and both sides need to sit down and firm up a broader understanding on how to calm down the situation and restore trust.

New Delhi: There is no contradiction of position on the situation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted on Friday, days after Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said a "degree" of standoff exists between Indian and Chinese militaries in the region.

"We do not see any contradiction between what the Army Chief has said and the position we have taken," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Following an understanding reached on October 21, the Indian and Chinese militaries sides completed the disengagement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Russia on October 23 and agreed to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms, signalling an intention to normalise the relations.

Last month, NSA Ajit Doval travelled to Beijing and held Special Representatives talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the boundary dispute.

At a press conference this week, Gen Dwivedi said there is still a "degree" of standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries and both sides need to sit down and firm up a broader understanding on how to calm down the situation and restore trust.

Asked about the Army chief's remarks, Jaiswal said his weekly media briefing that both the Army and the MEA are on the same page on the issue.

"I would refer to the position taken by the external affairs minister in the parliament. The external affairs minister had made the position very clear with regard to disengagement," Jaiswal said.

"Where the October 21st understanding is concerned, our objective has been to ensure patrolling as in the past to the relevant patrolling points as well as resumption of grazing by our civilians as per longstanding practice," he said.

"This is indeed what we have agreed upon with regard to Depsang and Demchok. The terms of the disengagement agreement reached prior to October 21, 2024 continue to hold in relevant areas in eastern Ladakh," he added.

Jaiswal also noted that Jaishankar had also underlined that the "task of de-escalation remains to be addressed".

"If you take these issues into account, you would realise that there is absolutely no contradiction between the positions taken," he said.

In his remarks, Gen Dwivedi, describing the situation in the region as "sensitive but stable", said the corps commanders of the Army have been delegated powers to resolve "trivial" matters or "minor frictions" relating to patrolling and grazing so that they do not become "big" issues later.

The Army Chief also said that there was no such thing called buffer zones as a temporary moratorium was put on patrolling in certain areas to avoid chances of violence.

Gen Dwivedi said the Army is looking forward to the next meeting of the Special Representatives on the boundary question of the two countries as well as talks under the framework of WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination) on India-China border affairs.

We will be moving forward based on the guidance emerging from the meetings, he had said.