India-China Positively Appraised Disengagement: Govt

The talks come as both the countries completed the disengagement process on both banks of the Pangong Lake.

India and China have been engaged in a nine-month-long standoff at the LAC.

(Photo: The Quint)

Following the culmination of the tenth round of disengagement talks between India and China, the Ministry of Defence said that the two sides “positively appraised the smooth completion of disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Lake area”.

Further, according to the Defence Ministry, the two sides noted that it was a significant step forward that provided “a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC in Western Sector.”

The Defence Ministry also said the two parties had “a candid and in-depth” exchange of views on other issues along the LAC in the Western Sector.

“The two sides agreed to follow the important consensus of their state leaders, continue their communication and dialogue, stabilise and control the situation on the ground, push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”

Defence Ministry

MORE DETAILS

The tenth round of disengagement talks between India and China, which started at 10 am on Saturday, 20 February, lasted for around 16 hours. According to a report by NDTV, disengagement in Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra remained on the agenda.

The talks come as both the countries completed the disengagement process on both the banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on Friday, 19 February.

The discussions were held at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control) – the de-facto India-China border – near Chushul on the South Bank of Pangong, the report stated.

BACKGROUND

India and China have been engaged in diplomatic and military talks after tensions began rising along the high-altitude border in April. The situation escalated when 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in a physical clash in mid-June at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

Earlier in February, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had told the Parliament that both sides had agreed to pull back troops in “a phased, coordinated and verified manner” around Pangong Tso, after which military commanders would discuss ending the standoff in other parts of Ladakh.

(With inputs from NDTV.)