New Delhi: India and China on Friday reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western sector and held in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western sector in Ladakh.
At the 21st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), the Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs while the Chinese side was represented by the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides agreed that the completion of the disengagement in North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two sides to work towards early resolution of these remaining issues.
They agreed that the agreement reached between the two Foreign Ministers in Moscow in September last year as also their recent phone conversation last month, should continue to guide the work of two sides. The two sides should continue their dialogue to reach a mutually acceptable solution for complete disengagement from all friction points at the earliest. This would enable two sides to look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas. They also agreed that in the interim two sides should continue to maintain stability at ground level and prevent any untoward incident.
The two sides agreed to maintain close communication and dialogue through both the diplomatic and military channels. In this regard, they agreed to convene the 11th round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date so that two sides could work towards complete disengagement from the remaining friction areas, according to a statement by External Affairs Ministry here.