India and China had sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army said on Tuesday, 13 October, a day after top military representatives from the two sides came together to discuss the situation in eastern Ladakh.
The meeting, which reportedly lasted 11 hours, was the seventh round of deliberations between both the countries at the Corps Commander-level and took place on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting point.
Both sides held that discussions were constructive and marked by enhanced understanding of each other's positions, the Indian Army said, adding that they have agreed to maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible.
“Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.”Indian Army, as quoted by ANI
The Indian delegation, at the meeting on Monday, was led by XIV Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh and his successor Lt General PGK Menon. Reports said that Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs, Navin Srivastava, also participated in the talks.
This was the first round of talks where China also had a representative from the country’s Foreign Ministry, The Indian Express reported.
Six-Month-Long Standoff
India and China have been engaged in a six-month-long standoff at the LAC. The latest round of talks began after Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops made a provocative effort to dislodge Indian soldiers from their positions on the LAC on 7 September and also fired warning shots. There have been several levels of dialogue, but the deadlock continues.
The sixth round of Military Commander-Level meetings was held on 21 September.
On 30 August, India had reportedly occupied critical mountain heights like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari, and Tabletop, that were all unmanned till now, on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake.
During the previous Corps Commander-level talks, China insisted that India vacate these new positions and that it will not discuss disengagement in eastern Ladakh, till the time India vacates these strategic positions.
(With inputs from The Indian Express, IANS, PTI and ANI.)
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