New Delhi: Against the backdrop of a fresh incident of incursion by Chinese troops, Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said such incidents cannot be ruled out.
He, however, maintained that such issues were now resolved immediately in the wake of the signing of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two sides in October.
On the ongoing boundary resolution talks between the Special Representatives of the two countries, the Defence Minister said people should “not expect miracles” from them even though both sides have decided that till the time the issue is sorted out, they will resolve their issues amicably.
“Now our decision is to maintain peace and tranquility. Whenever any incident takes place, that possibility cannot be ruled out as the boundary is very long…both sides should come together and resolve its amicably,” the Defence Minister said on the sidelines of the Vijay Diwas to mark Indian victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan.
He was asked to comment on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in the backdrop of Chinese troops recently apprehending five Indian nationals and returning them only after a flag meeting between the two sides.
On the incident, he said the Indians apprehended by PLA troops were civilians and not Army personnel and the matter was resolved amicably.
On the boundary talks with China, Antony said, “Don’t expect miracles in resolving the issue. What we are trying is that till a satisfactory solution on the boundary issue is found, whenever incidents take place on the border, through discussions and official mechanism, resolve those issues.
“Of late, we have been able to resolve the issues without much delays. That is an improvement,” he said.
To a question on the border pact with the Chinese, he said, “After the agreement, by and large, whenever any issue arises, we are able to resolve it as quickly as possible. It does not mean that there would not be any issue as long as the India-China border issue is unsettled. There can always be possibility…”
India and China had signed the agreement with an aim of preventing any possible flare up between the two sides along the LAC, where both the countries have been upgrading their infrastructure.
He said during his and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to China, both the countries had decided to mantain peace and tranquility along the LAC. “We have been able to take a decision, till we find a peaceful solution to the boundary issue,” he said. (PTI)
