India, China to continue military and diplomatic engagements to end borders row: MEA

New Delhi: After Lieutenant General-level talks between two Himalayan nations ended inconclusively a day ago, India on Sunday said that New Delhi and Beijing have decided to continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas of Eastern Ladakh.

“A meeting was held between the Corps Commander based in Leh and the Chinese Commander on June 6 in the Chushul-Moldo region. It took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

India and China have agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements and keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquillity in the border regions are essential for the overall development of bilateral relations, it added.

According to the MEA, both sides have 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.

Saturday’s meeting between senior officials of the Indian Army and the Peoples Liberation Army, China lasted for almost six hours to resolve over a month-long stalemate along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

As per sources in the defence establishment, the Indian side had pressed for restoration of status quo ante as it was existing before May 5 and pull up of heavy build-up along the LAC and follow agreements, protocols and laid down drills relating to maintaining ‘peace and tranquillity’ along the LAC and for the conduct of soldiers.

The Indian side was led by Leh-based 14 Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh while the Chinese delegation was led by South Xinjiang Military Commander Maj Gen Lin Liu at Moldo BPM point on the Chinese side, some 200 km south-east of Leh.

The meeting started around 1130 hrs, it had a break for lunch around 1430 hrs and resumed afterwards. Officials in Delhi said the meeting was on till 1900 hrs.

The two countries had held around a dozen meetings between commanders at the level of Major General and Brigadier had not succeeded, before the top commanders level. (UNI)