Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a bitter deadlock in eastern Ladakh for more than 8 weeks
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed on the development of the Indo-Chinese border at the India-EU summit, the President of the European Council said on Wednesday, saying the 27-member bloc supports all efforts to maintain a channel of dialogue for a peaceful solution.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, made this remark after the 15th EU-India summit. While the Indian side was chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the European Union delegation was chaired by Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the virtual summit.
Asked at a press conference on Chinese aggression and the recent incident on the Indo-Chinese border, Michel replied in the affirmative.
“You probably know, a few weeks ago, we had a videoconference summit with the Chinese authorities. The relations between the EU and China are complex. We have to tackle different problems and subjects. And in fact, we are in favor of a peaceful solution, “said Michel.
“Prime Minister Modi has also had the opportunity to brief us on the latest developments regarding this incident with China and we support all efforts to maintain a channel of dialogue in order to find peaceful solutions,” he said. .
Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter deadlock in several places in eastern Ladakh for more than eight weeks since May 5.
Tensions increased after violent clashes in the Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
However, after a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides began a process of mutual disengagement on July 6 and withdrew their troops from most points of friction.
As to whether India is more strategic for the European Union than China, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that China and India were both important to the bloc, but all two were very different.
“If you look at the subjects we have with China and India – the common interest is the fight against climate change. China and India are very important if you want to succeed in the fight against climate change” she said.
She said the EU has strong trade relations with the two countries, but in very different areas.
“The difference is indeed that we share with India the fact that we are democracies. We can understand that we are democracies and that we defend our values,” she said at the press conference.
When asked if the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Law and the protests against the legislation had been discussed, Michel said: “In the European Parliament, this has been an important issue in recent months. we also had the opportunity today to raise this matter with the Prime Minister. “
“We trust Indian institutions. We understand that the Supreme Court will have a role to play in evaluating this legislation,” he said.
He said the two sides decided to continue a strong dialogue on the issue of human rights which are important for India and the EU.
