NEW DELHI, Aug 2: The 12th round of Corps Commanders meeting between India and China, held on Saturday, was “constructive”, a joint statement issued on Monday said, though the two sides have not yet reached an agreement for disengagement at Gogra and Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh.
“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 (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the joint statement said. “The two sides noted that this round of meeting was constructive, which further enhanced mutual understanding.”
The 12th round of India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side and went on for around nine hours.
This round of meeting was held following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and 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.
They agreed to resolve these remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations, the statement said.
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 statement added.
Officials had stated earlier that another round of Major General level talks is scheduled to be held very soon.
An agreement for the second phase of disengagement has been held up since February after disengagement was completed on the North and South Banks of Pangong Tso.
Both sides had undertaken partial disengagement from Patrolling Points (PP) 15 and 17A in Gogra and Hot Springs last July after disengagement from PP14 in Galwan, but the process was stalled after the aggressive actions on the South Bank of Pangong Tso in August.
(Manas Dasgupta)