Kremlin comments on incident on the Indian-Chinese border

The Kremlin is alarmed by the incident on the Indian-Chinese border, but they believe that the parties themselves can take measures to avoid such situations in the future, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We are watching with great attention what is happening on the Indian-Chinese border. We believe that these are disturbing messages, but the two sides are able to take the necessary steps to ensure that such situations do not recur in the future and the region has predictability, stability, and it is a safe region for the peoples, primarily China and India”, – Peskov told the reporters.

He noted that both China and India are very close partners of Russia, in many respects allies, countries with which the Russian Federation has very close relations, mutually beneficial and based on the principles of mutual respect.

The incident between the Chinese and Indian military occurred on the evening of June 15 in the Galvan Valley region of Ladakh. According to the Chinese military, in the evening of June 15, in the Galvan river border area, the Indian military violated their obligations and again illegally crossed the line of actual control, deliberately carried out a provocative strike, which led to a fierce clash, were wounded and killed.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry protested and made a representation of India in connection with a new incident at the border. The Indian Foreign Ministry said the clash came as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the consensus regarding compliance with the line of actual control in the Galvan Valley.

Between China and India there is a long-standing territorial dispute over the ownership of a mountainous area in northern Kashmir, as well as almost 60 thousand square kilometers in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The actual control line runs in the Ladakh region. In the fall of 1962, this dispute escalated into a border war. In 1993 and 1996, China and India signed peacekeeping agreements in disputed areas.