India-China will hold 10th round of talks within 48 hours of LAC disengagement; Canada commended Centre's effort taken for farmer protest: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reiterated that India and China have agreed to hold the 10th round of Corps Commander-level talks within 48 hours of the ongoing disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Addressing a press conference, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava added that the statement of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament on Thursday "is self-explanatory".

"The two (India & China) sides have also agreed to convene 10th round of senior commanders meeting within 48 hours after complete disengagement in the Pangong lake area, to address the remaining issues. No date has been set so far for the WMCC," added Srivastava.

Speaking on the farmers' protests, the MEA Spokesperson said, "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commended efforts of the Government of India to choose the path of dialogue as befitting a democracy. He also acknowledged the responsibility of his govt in providing protection to Indian diplomatic personnel and premises in Canada."

Earlier, Trudeau had said that he held a "good discussion" with his PM Narendra Modi on many important issues, including on the two nations' commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue. Trudeau made a telephone call to prime minister PM Modi on Wednesday.

Trudeau in December 2020 said that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests, and had expressed concern over the situation, evoking a strong reaction from India. India later summoned Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel and told him that the comments made by Prime Minister Trudeau and others in his Cabinet on the farmers' protest constituted an "unacceptable interference" in the country''s internal affairs and these actions, if continued, will have a "seriously damaging" impact on the bilateral ties.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 2020, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. 

On Tahawwur Rana, key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the MEA Spokesperson said, "We are keeping a close watch on the extradition of Tahawwur Rana. We are trying for his extradition as soon as possible. In an update, his court hearing will begin on April 22, 2021."

India has supplied a total of 229.7 lakh doses to the global community, he added. "Of these, 64.7 lakh doses have been supplied as a grant while 165 lakh doses have been supplied on a commercial basis," said Srivastava.

"Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Seychelles, Barbados have received the COVID-19 vaccines as a gift whereas it has been exported to Brazil, Morocco, Bangladesh, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa and Kuwait commercially," he added.