13th round of India-China talks on Sunday; disengagement along LAC to be discussed

In a key development, India and China are all set to hold the 13th round of the Corps Commander-level military talks on Sunday, with the focus on making advancements in the process of disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Officials said both sides have exchanged notes as part of preparations for the 13th round of military talks to push for disengagement in the remaining friction points. Military sources informed disengagement in Hot Springs and some other areas were expected to be discussed at the next round of the talks. As per sources, the 13th round of India-China talks will be held at Moldo (Chusul) on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

MEA expects China to work towards early resolution

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday had asserted that it expected China to work towards early resolution of the issues. MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterating the same had said, "It is our expectation that China will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues of along the Line of Control in Eastern Ladakh by fully adding bilateral agreements and protocols. Earlier on July 31, military officials of both countries had engaged in a meeting in the 12th India-China Corps Commander Level talks following which both the armies completed the disengagement process in Gogra.

Disengagement after 12th round of India-China military talks

The two countries disengaged troops from the patrolling point 17A, one of the friction points between the two countries in the eastern Ladakh region. During the talks, both India and China had an agreement to disengage from PP-17A also known as Gogra. Talks on disengagement on other friction points including the PP-15 (Hot Springs) and the Depsang plains are, however, going to continue between the two countries.

The move from both the nuclear-abled militaries had been considered as a key forward movement towards the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region. The 13th round of talks between the two counties comes in line with the two recent incidents of attempted transgressions by the Chinese forces, one in the Barahoti sector in Uttarakhand and another in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian soldiers fully ready in 'every possible way': MM Narvane

Meanwhile, after a comprehensive review of the ground situation in the mountainous region, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, who began his two-day visit to eastern Ladakh on Friday, October 01, said Indian soldiers are fully ready in "every possible way" to deal with any eventuality in eastern Ladakh.

"I always try to go to the forward areas so that I can see for myself the situation. I am very happy that our soldiers are fully ready in every possible way," said Gen Naravane said at the end of the visit to eastern Ladakh.

Inputs: ANI

Image: PTI