Doklam issue resolved through ‘diplomatic maturity’: Sushma

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said “diplomatic maturity” resolved the India-China face-off over Doklam even as she denied that the issue figured in the summit level meeting between the two countries. 

“Doklam paripakv kutniti ke saath suljha diya gaya”, (it was resolved with diplomatic maturity) Sushma said in the Lok Sabha while answering a question from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sugata Bose during the question hour.

Sushma told the Lok Sabha that the main objective of the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Wuhan was to ensure mutual comfort, mutual understanding and mutual trust between the two leaders and all the three objectives have been achieved.

“We have resolved the Doklam issue with diplomatic maturity without losing any ground. There is no change in the status quo (on the ground). There is not an iota of change. The face off at sight has been resolved on August 28, 2017,” she said. The External Affairs Minister said the Wuhan informal summit was held without any agenda and without having any objective to discuss any specific issue.

Prime Minister was present in the House when Sushma replied to the question. Before the summit, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries decided that the leaders should not be restricted to any specific issue, she said.

“The decision to host Wuhan was taken not to resolve any issue but to create a conducive environment. Three main objectives were to ensure mutual comfort, mutual understanding and mutual trust. In all the three objectives, we have achieved success,” she said.

Sushma said as a follow up to the Wuhan summit, the Chinese Defence Minister is coming to enhance military cooperation while the Foreign Minister will arrive later this year as part of efforts to enhance the people-to-people contact.

The first informal summit between Modi and Jinping was held at the Chinese city of Wuhan on April 27-28.

The Foreign Minister also made it clear that the boundary dispute between Bhutan and China was continuing and it was a matter between those two countries.

“Our concern was related only to the tri-junction area (India-Bhutan-China),” she said. Trinamool Congress member said since the Foreign Minister was not present in Wuhan and the Prime Minister was present in the House, he should make an intervention and disclose what had happened in his informal summit with the Chinese leader. The Minister dismissed the suggestion and said she was capable of answering all questions relating to the Wuhan summit as she was fully abreast of it.

Responding to a question regarding the South-China sea dispute, Sushma said India believed that the international sea route should be free for navigation.