Arunachal ‘inalienable and integral’ part of India, nothing can change this ‘indisputable reality’: MEA

New Delhi: India on Tuesday reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh remains an “inalienable and integral” part of India and nothing can alter this “indisputable reality”.

“Arunachal is an inalienable and integral part of India and this is a fact which is self-evident. At the same time, let me also underline that nothing can change this indisputable reality,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while responding to a question on China’s reaction to India’s decision of formally identifying 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their Indian names, which was termed as “null and void” by Beijing.

Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jaiswal reiterated that India considers the border issues with China one of the most serious aspects of the bilateral relationship. He stressed that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border remains essential and any developments around it will have a bearing on the wider ties between New Delhi and Beijing.

Jaiswal said that both sides had reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held on August 6. He said that India emphasised the importance of preserving peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the broader development of bilateral relations.

“Relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious and that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in these areas is of the utmost importance. We have also stated that the state of border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties. This was also reiterated at the recently-held 36th WMCC meeting on India-China border affairs, which was held on August 6th, and you are already aware of the statement that we put out,” Jaiswal stated.

“At this meeting, the two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control. The Indian side again underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. It was agreed to continue to use existing mechanisms, diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings, and other agreed mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the line of actual control,” he added.

IANS