Exclusive: "We Have Reached An Agreement On Patrolling," S Jaishankar Tells NDTV On China Border Row

Indian and Chinese soldiers will be able to resume patrolling in the way they had been doing before the border face-off began in May 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said today at the NDTV World Summit.

Earlier today, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced India and China have arrived on a patrolling arrangement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Himalayas, and it can lead to disengagement and resolution of tension.

The breakthrough came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia to attend the BRICS summit tomorrow. 

"We reached an agreement on patrolling, and we have gone back to the 2020 position. With that we can say the disengagement with China has been completed. Details will come out in due course," Mr Jaishankar told NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia.

"There are areas which for various reasons after 2020, they blocked us, we blocked them. We have now reached an understanding which will allow patrolling as we had been doing till 2020," Mr Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister said the LAC breakthrough is a good development that happened due to "patient and persevering diplomacy".