India takes note as China-Bhutan sign pact on boundary negotiations5Photo© oneindia.com

India takes note as China-Bhutan sign pact on boundary negotiations

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New Delhi, Oct 14: Bhutan on Thursday announced that it firmed up a "three-step roadmap" for expediting the negotiations with China to resolve the long-pending boundary dispute between the two countries, a development that India said it has taken note of.

The signing of the pact came four years after the Indian and Chinese armies were locked in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction after China tried to extend a road in the area. "We have noted the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bhutan and China today. You are aware that Bhutan and China have been holding boundary negotiations since 1984. India has similarly been holding boundary negotiations with China," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said.

He was replying to a question on the agreement. In a statement, Bhutan said its Foreign Minister Lyonpo Tandi Dorji and China's Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao signed the MoU on the "three-step roadmap" for expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary negotiations. "The MoU on the three-step roadmap will provide a fresh impetus to the boundary talks," the Bhutanese foreign ministry said.