Published 16:41 IST, June 9th 2020
LAC Standoff: Indian military team ready for talks with China in next few days
Amid efforts to resolve the ongoing dispute in Eastern Ladakh, members of the Indian military team are in Chushul preparing for talks with China
Amid efforts to resolve the ongoing dispute in Eastern Ladakh, members of the Indian military team are in Chushul preparing for talks with China which are likely to be held in the next few days. This comes a few days after Corps Commander level talks were held in Moldo on Sunday between the two nation.
The team has been provided with directions and instructions from the Army headquarters and government officials to help in the resolution of the matter which has entered its second month now.
"Members of the military team are in Chushul and preparing for talks expected to be held in the next few days," sources told ANI.
Even though the talks had not yielded any immediate results on the ground as both sides continue to be in a standoff position opposite each other, they had agreed to continue talks at both diplomatic and military levels to find a solution to the problem.
On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had stated that "Talks with China are on at military and diplomatic level. The June 6 talks were very positive and both the countries have agreed to continue talks to resolve the ongoing tussle" while assuring the country that "leadership of the country is in strong hands and we will not compromise on India's pride and self-respect." The issue started early last month when the Chinese started building up militarily along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and started deploying troops at multiple locations along the LAC including Finger area, Pangong Tso Lake, and the Galway valley.
India-China talks last for 5 hours
Issuing a statement on Sunday after Corps Commander level talks were held in Moldo, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation. The MEA added that any decision regarding the border issues will be taken in accordance with various bilateral agreements between India and China. It described the meeting between Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, the Commander of 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of China's PLA as a 'cordial and positive atmosphere'.
Thereafter, the sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship, MEA said. Here is the full statement.
While de-escalation talks are going on with China, Union Home Minister, in an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, had said that India's sovereignty and security were of utmost importance. "Now talks are being held on both diplomatic level and Army levels and I believe that the situation will be handled. But I wish to clarify that Modi government will not allow diluting India's security and sovereignty at its borders," he said.
India-China standoff
Chinese military helicopters were spotted close to the border between India and China in eastern Ladakh after a clash between soldiers from both sides took place on two occasions. Thereafter, a fleet of Su-30 fighters of the Indian Air Force carried out sorties in the area. According to reports, Indian and Chinese Army personnel clashed along the northern bank of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh on May 5. Four days later, a face-off between the two sides was witnessed near Naku La Pass in Sikkim. Speaking with Republic TV, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Centre would not let India's self-respect come down. He added that diplomatic talks with China were going on.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 16:41 IST, June 9th 2020