Russia welcomes India-China agreements on border standoff; 'closely monitoring situation'

Tensions along the border between India and China have lasted nearly a year, and while bilateral talks are underway between the two countries for disengagement of troops at the LAC, several neighbours have kept a close watch on the developments near eastern Ladakh.

Russia on Friday said that it closely is monitoring the situation and welcomes the resolve shown by India and China to settle the matter without foreign interference.

“We continue to monitor the situation at the China-India border. We welcome the agreements reached by the foreign ministers of China and India during the phone conversation on February 25. We respect the parties’ resolve to settle the situation without foreign interference and within the existing framework of the multi-level mechanisms of bilateral dialogue.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

Thousands of Indian and Chinese troops remain deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in the region amid the eight-month-long border standoff. The Army and the Indian Air Force(IAF) has been maintaining a high state of operational readiness along the nearly 3,500-km LAC with China in view of the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

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Border standoff near Ladakh heads resolution

Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are deployed in various locations in eastern Ladakh as multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks between the two sides have not yielded any concrete outcome to resolve the faceoff. China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials.

India and China have "smoothly" completed the disengagement of forces in the Pangong Lake area, Defence Ministry had said in a joint statement after the 10th round of Corps Commander Level meeting between the two Asian powers last month. 

After reviewing the status of disengagement in the Pangong Lake area of Eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed that India and China should quickly resolve the remaining issues along the LAC. He noted that the border tensions have adversely affected the bilateral relations between the two countries over the last year. 

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