NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday raised the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a brief interaction between the two on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday.
“The prime minister underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship,” foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a press briefing.
Following this, the two leaders agreed to direct relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation, the foreign secretary added. The two leaders were also seen shaking hands and exchanging courtesies after the joint conference of the BRICS leaders.
However, there was no official word on whether President Xi confirmed his in-person participation in the upcoming G20 Summit in Delhi. In Johannesburg, the leaders of the BRICS nations decided to admit six more countries to the grouping — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The new members will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024.
“We have taken the decision to expand this forum. India has always fully supported the expansion as it will make BRICS stronger and effective,’’ said Prime Minister Modi while welcoming the new members. Earlier in the day, Modi held bilaterals with leaders of South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, Mozambique, and Senegal.
Russia will host the next BRICS meet in 2024 in the Russian city of Kazan. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Johannesburg meet virtually. Putin faces arrest if he travels abroad following an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes.
Meanwhile, among the 94 points that were listed in the Johannesburg Declaration, there were mentions of seeking reforms in the UN, trade in local currencies, the G20 Summit and countering terrorism.
“We support a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships,’’ said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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