Published 18:45 IST, January 23rd 2021
LAC: Ninth round of India-China Commander level talks tomorrow at Moldo
Both the countries are in a standoff position since a violent skirmish in June 2020 in which India had lost its 20 brave soldiers.
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India and China will hold the ninth round of military and diplomatic talks tomorrow in Moldo on the Chinese side of Ladakh. Both the countries are in a standoff position since a violent skirmish in June 2020 in which India had lost its 20 brave soldiers.
The eighth round of talks were held on November 6th in Chushul on the Indian side of Ladakh. The WMCC meeting was held on December 18 where diplomats from both countries continued to emphasize the bilateral solution to the situation. The Indian and Chinese armies have had 8 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks with an aim to chart a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the flashpoints in eastern Ladakh.
In the last few days, the top military brass of India held a series of meetings where the overall situation in eastern Ladakh was reviewed and it was decided to press for comprehensive disengagement of the troops in talks with China.
The seventh round of Corps Commander-level talks had taken place on October 12. Army Chief General Narawane has said, India will resolve the issue through peaceful dialogue and Army is strongly holding the Position along the LAC.India is trying to achieve complete disengagement and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the external affairs ministry said on Friday.
The border standoff along the LAC in Ladakh which started in June has entered its eighth month with both sides deploying thousands of troops backed by artillery and armored vehicles. Reports suggest that while the two sides are considering many proposals to reduce the number of troops at certain friction points, there hasn't been a breakthrough yet.
The November 6 discussion was also joined by joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava of the external affairs ministry. MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava termed the talks between the military commanders as candid, in-depth, and constructive, in which both sides exchanged views on disengagement at all friction points along the LAC.
"The objective of these discussions is to ensure complete disengagement and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western sector. We will continue our dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels and have also agreed to have another round of talks soon to achieve this objective," the MEA had earlier said in a statement.
The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control escalated in an unprecedented fashion when 20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held a series of meetings with their respective counterparts in China on the issue.
Meanwhile, the top Indian and Chinese leadership have participated in several virtual meetings this month, including the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping. In the consecutive meetings, India has repeatedly called for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states.
18:45 IST, January 23rd 2021