NEW DELHI: Defence Minister A K Antony today did not rule out India-China face-offs and incidents like the recent one in which three Indian civilians were reportedly taken away by Chinese troops in Chumar valley but said these were now resolved amicably.
He said one should not “expect miracles” from the India-China border talks and efforts are made to resolve any issues between the two countries through dialogue.
“Don’t expect miracles in resolving the issue. What we are trying is that till a satisfactory solution to the boundary issue is found, attempts are made to resolve any incidents through discussions and official mechanism.
Of late, we have been able to resolve the issues without many delays. That is an improvement,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Asked about the latest incident at Chumar where Chinese troops reportedly took away three Indian porters from inside the Indian territory, the Defence Minister did not rule out the possibility of such incidents.
He said the Indians apprehended by PLA troops were civilians and not Army personnel and the matter was resolved 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,” he said.
On the recently signed Border Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, he said both had been able to take a decision until a peaceful solution could be found to the boundary issue.
“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 issues as long as the India-China border issue is unsettled, there can always be a possibility…We have been able to take a decision, till we find a peaceful solution to the boundary issue,” Mr Antony said.
The two countries signed the landmark Border Defence Cooperation Agreement during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Beijing in October. (AGENCIES)
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