Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold bilateral talks today on the sidelines of the ongoing 16th BRICS summit in Kazan city of Russia. This will be the first formal meeting between the two leaders in the last five years and comes at a time when India said it had asked China to resume patrolling in the disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. A ceasefire has been signed with Pakistan, ending the four-year-old military standoff. The bilateral meeting will take place between 4.10 pm and 5.10 pm (IST).
Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping met on Tuesday night at a formal dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin for all BRICS leaders and summit attendees. Addressing a press conference in Kazan, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chinese President will take place on Wednesday on the sidelines of the two-day summit. However, he did not mention the timing of the meeting. The Foreign Secretary was also asked about the India-China agreement to resume patrolling at the remaining friction points along the LAC, where tensions have remained high since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020.
In response, Misri said the immediate focus would be on disengagement and then the issue of withdrawal of troops and de-escalation would be considered at an appropriate time. “This will mean that pending the areas under discussion, patrolling and grazing activities, wherever applicable, will return to 2020 status,” he said. This diplomatic breakthrough comes five years after bilateral relations between India and China witnessed a significant deterioration due to the border standoff. New Delhi had accused Beijing of occupying about 1,000 square kilometers of Indian territory in Ladakh since May 2020.
Hours before the meeting was announced by the Foreign Secretary, the Chinese government also reaffirmed the ceasefire on the border, saying that a solution has been reached on “relevant matters” and that it will work with New Delhi to implement these resolutions. Will do.
The last formal meeting between PM Modi and Xi Jinping was held in Mahabalipuram in 2019. In August 2023, the two leaders held a short and informal talk in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. The Prime Minister and the President greeted each other and held brief talks at a dinner hosted by the Indonesian President for the G20 leaders in November 2022.
Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Iranian President Putin
After arriving in Kazan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with Russian and Iranian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Massoud Pezeshkian respectively. During his meeting with Putin, the Prime Minister assured India’s support for a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war. He also recalled his two visits to Russia in the last three months, saying they “reflect our close coordination and deep friendship”.
On his part, the Russian President said that India-Russia relations are “particularly privileged” and “dynamically developing”. The meeting also witnessed a light-hearted moment when Putin said he felt Prime Minister Modi would understand his comments without translation as the two countries have “strong” relations.
This was the prime minister’s first meeting with an Iranian leader after Pejeshkian took office in July. Earlier he had won in snap elections and his predecessor Ibrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this year. Their discussions focused on ways to strengthen cooperation in key areas including the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. After the meeting, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, “Had a very good meeting with the President of Iran, Mr. Masoud Pejeshkian. We reviewed the entire range of relations between our countries. We also discussed ways to deepen ties in future areas.” of.”
Pejeshkian acknowledged India’s role in Iran’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS and also emphasized New Delhi’s role in de-escalating the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Iranian leader also accepted Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to visit India soon.
Imagine performing in front of the three most powerful leaders in the world: Russia, China, and India. pic.twitter.com/CIETR4O0dI
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) October 22, 2024
