New Delhi: In the backdrop of ongoing disengagement along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, Indian and Chinese diplomats on Friday held a meeting and reaffirmed that both sides will ensure complete disengagement of the troops and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas.
It will be in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols.
“The 16th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on July 10. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
They reviewed the situation in the border areas including the progress made in ongoing disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector.
“The two sides agreed that it was necessary for both sides to sincerely implement the understandings reached between Senior Commanders. As agreed by the two Special Representatives, the Senior Commanders will meet soon to discuss further steps so as to ensure complete disengagement and de-escalation in a timely manner,” it added.
They have also agreed to maintain the ongoing communication both at the diplomatic and military level to ensure early resolution of the situation.
“In this context they agreed to hold another meeting of the WMCC in the near future,” the ministry said.
During their virtual discussion, they recalled the agreement reached between the two foreign ministers on June 17 as well as the agreement between two Special Representatives (SRs) during their telephonic conversation on July 5.
They also agreed that for the overall development of bilateral relations it was essential to maintain enduring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
The WMCC, comprising senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) was established in 2012 and normally meets just twice a year, is meeting for the second time in two weeks, an indicator of the seriousness of the LAC situation.
