NEW DELHI, Feb 21
Indian and China held the 21st round military talks earlier this week, emphasising that a complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is the essential basis for restoring normalcy along the borders. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs said the latest discussions on Monday at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.
The MEA said that the two sides shared their perspectives on disengaging from the remaining friction points along the LAC.
It added that both sides have agreed to maintain communication on the way ahead through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. “They also committed to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in the interim,” it added.
The remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh primarily include legacy ones such as Depsang Plains and Demchok.
As per sources, this round of talks has been in the offing since the last few weeks. The issues were discussed even during the last few rounds of military talks between the two sides, including the 20th round of talks held last October. There has, however, been no forward movement on this front. Local Indian military commanders on ground have also been holding various agenda-based meetings since then with their Chinese counterparts. The last formal disengagement along the LAC took place in September 2022, when both sides pulled back troops to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh, marking a step forward in the military standoff between the two sides which began in May 2020.
Friction points such as Galwan Valley, north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the Gogra-Hot Springs area have seen some amount of resolution since the beginning of the current military standoff between India and China in 2020 with the creation of buffer zones along the LAC.
Around 50,000-60,000 troops remain deployed on both sides of the India-China border.
