China, India Agree to Pull Back Troops After Two-Week-Long Border Standoff (Reports)

China and India have agreed to a withdrawal of troops after a two week-long standoff near their de-facto border, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was quoted as saying by the Indian NDTV television channel Friday.

"Both nations have sat down and resolved the [border standoff] issue. Timelines have been decided," Swaraj told journalists on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly currently taking place in New York. He added that the withdrawal of troops from the Ladakh region will begin Friday and is due to be completed by Tuesday.

"I talked about this with the Chinese foreign minister. I believe this is a big accomplishment," she said.

The two countries were engaged in a standoff in the Chumar region of Ladakh in the western Himalayas.

According to the Indian media, tensions in the area arose last Sunday, when Chinese workers who were constructing a temporary road crossed into the Indian side claiming that they had an order to build some five miles of the road inside the Indian territory.

The territories on the Himalayan borders have been a source of dispute for decades. In 1962 China and India fought a month-long war over these areas.
[en.ria.ru]
26/9/14
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• China, India vow to further bilateral ties...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj agreed on Thursday to further develop relations between the two neighboring Asian countries.

Talks between the two ministers were held on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, which entered its second day at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

Wang said that the historic visit recently paid by Chinese President Xi Jinping to India had boosted understanding and friendship between leaders of the two countries and drawn the two peoples closer.

China-India relationship is embracing a crucial period of opportunities, the Chinese foreign minister said.

The two sides should implement the strategic plan on the development of bilateral relations laid down by leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level interactions, increase mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, intensify friendly exchanges between the two peoples, make concerted effort to build a closer partnership and actualize the bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership.

For his part, Swaraj said the Indian people welcomed President Xi's visit from the bottom of their hearts.

The visit was a huge success and significantly enhanced the practical cooperation between the two countries, she said.

The Indian side highly values the results of the visit and stands ready to coordinate closely with the Chinese side in a bid to write a new chapter of the India-China relations, Swaraj added.
Sources:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
26/9/14
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