After the 12th round of military-level meeting between India and China on Saturday, the Indian Army today issued an official statement, announcing that both sides have agreed to resolve the remaining border issues in an “expeditious manner”.
On 31 July, both sides held a meeting at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC where the focus was to resolve the conflict in the friction points of Gogra, Hot Springs and in the 900 square km Depsang plains. The Indian Army today said they will continue to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations.
The Indian Army stated that the 12th round of meeting was held following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and the People’s Republic of China on July 14 in Dushanbe and the 22nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held on June 25.
“The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” said Indian Army in the statement.
“The two sides also agreed that in the interim they will continue their effective efforts in ensuring stability along the LAC in the Western Sector and jointly maintain peace and tranquility,” the force added.
The commitment of both India and China to resolve the prevailing conflict became even more apparent yesterday when a hotline was set up between the Indian Army in Kongra La, North Sikkim and PLA at Khamba Dzong in Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR)
The decision to establish the hotline also comes after the 12th round of talks held at the Chinese side at Moldo. Indian Army, however, felt apart from well-established mechanisms already in place for communication at ground commanders level, such hotlines in various sectors go a long way in maintaining peace and tranquility at the borders.
…With IANS inputs