Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will meet Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi on July 24 during the BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg. Discussions will focus on global issues such as the Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific, religious radicalization, and terrorism.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will meet Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg on July 24. Global issues like the Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific, religious radicalization and terrorism will be at the forefront during the BRICS NSA meeting.
NSA Doval will also meet special invitees like Secretary of Russian Security Council Yang Jiechi, UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia NSA Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban.
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According to a report in Hindustan Times, LiveMint's sister publication, while the meetings are being held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, NSA Doval will also bilateral meeting with Yang Jiechi. The meeting between Indian NSA and Chinese diplomat is prominent, especially given the Chinese aggression in East Ladakh in May 2020.
While China has been disengagement of troops in Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs and Pangong Tso lake spurs areas, Chinese troops are yet to disengage from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in East Ladakh. PLA has also increased its deployment in the Daulet Beg Oldi sector and is not allowing the Indian Army to patrol the Depsang Bulge areas and Chading Ninglung Nullah junction in Demchok.
PLA also hasn't sent back six combined armed brigades it deployed during the National Party Congress in 2022. The six brigades are deployed in the Siliguri corridor along with the Arunachal Pradesh sector. The new threat from the PLA has also led to the Indian Army deploying a lot of military power in this sector.
While NSA Doval is expected to raise the issue of de-escalation in the western and eastern sectors of LAC, not much is expected to come out of the bilateral meeting.
NSA meetings with other diplomats:
According to reports, NSA Doval will also meet his Russian, UAE and Saudi Arabian counterparts. He is expected to exchange views on the Ukraine-Russia war and its impact on the global economy, while also briefing his Russian counterpart Patrushev on the situation in eastern Ladakh and the Indo-Pacific.
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Since Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that he won't physically attend the BRICS summit in South Africa due to the threat of arrest. A decision is also expected on whether to hold the summit physically or virtually.