NEW DELHI - India's army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane says he is confident the continuing border standoff with China can be resolved through talks, even as thousands of troops remained amassed along a disputed Western Himalayan region.
"We are sure that the problem can be resolved fully through talks," Naravane told Reuters partner ANI on Friday during a visit to the Ladakh region, where tensions flared earlier this week after the rivals accused each other of seizing territory on their contested border at the Pangong Tso lake area.
Tens of thousands of troops from the two nuclear-armed countries have been squaring off since border skirmishes erupted in April.
India accuses China of violating bilateral agreements by pushing its troops through the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two Asian giants.
"The situation along the LAC is slightly tense," Naravane said, adding that India had deployed additional troops in some areas to stall any attempted Chinese incursions.
China, however, has blamed India for trespassing over the LAC over the weekend, saying the "move has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty," according to a Chinese embassy spokesperson in New Delhi.
However, both countries have repeatedly said that they are keen on talks to resolve the process, with military officials meeting for several days this week south of the Pangong Tso lake, where the latest flare-up occurred. (Aljazeera)