Kathmandu, Aug 11: The Doklam standoff between India and Chi was very much on the table when Indian Exterl Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Bhutanese counterpart Damcho Dorji here on Friday, with the latter expressing hope that the situation is resolved peacefully.
The two ministers met on the margins of the Bimstec Ministerial Meeting here.
Their meeting focused mainly on the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam in the Sikkim sector since mid-June, that has led to sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between Beijing and New Delhi. Doklam lies in the trijunction between India, Chi and Bhutan.
The face off began after Indian troops stopped People’s Liberation Army soldiers from constructing a road in the area, which Beijing claims is part of its territory but Thimphu has strongly contested it.
Sushma Swaraj and Damcho Dorji stated their respective positions as well as reiterating the stances on the face off, according to diplomatic sources.
“We hope the current standoff in Doklam will be sorted out peacefully,” said Dorji after the meeting, and added that “both sides should be satisfied with the outcome”.
The meeting comes as the Government of Bhutan on Thursday refuted Chinese Foreign Ministry claims that Thimphu had told Beijing that the trilateral junction in Doklam is not Bhutanese territory. Top Chinese diplomat Wang Wenli had claimed that Bhutan had conveyed to Beijing through diplomatic channels that the area of the standoff is not its territory.
Indian officials in Kathmandu were unwilling to disclose much about the Sushma Swaraj-Dorji meeting. (IANS)