PM Modi, Chinese Prez To Have Bilateral Meeting On BRICS Summit Sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a bilateral meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of BRICS Summit.

The meeting will take place two days after India and China reached agreement on patrolling arrangements in eastern Ladakh.

"I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing here.

The Foreign Secretary, who had addressed a special media briefing in New Delhi on Monday ahead of PM Modi's visit to Russia for the BRICS Summit, had said India and China have reached an agreement on the patrolling arrangements along Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Misri had said that as a result of the discussions with the Chinese interlocutors an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.

He had said this is leading to dis-engagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that arose after action by Chinese military in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

"We have been in discussion with Chinese interlocuters through WMCC as was mentioned earlier and at the military level as well through meetings of the military commanders at various levels. These discussions have in the past resulted in the resolution of standoffs at various locations. You are also aware that there were a few locations where the standoff had not been resolved," he had said.

"Now as a result of the discussions that have taken place over the last several weeks an agreement has been arrived at on patroling arrangements along the line of actual control in the India-China border areas and this is leading to dis-engagement and eventually a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020."

The agreement was seen to have paved way for a meeting between PM Modi and the Chinese President on the sidelines of BRICS Summit.

Border tensions arose in eastern Ladakh along Line of Actual Control in 2020 due to actions of the Chinese military. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements which would enable return of the situation before May 2020.

PM Modi, who reached Russia on Tuesday, had bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian. Kazan is hosting the 16th BRICS Summit. (ANI)