An Indian army truck crosses the Chang Pass near Lake Pangong in the Ladakh region of India. (AP file photo)
Marathon talks between the two armies focused on ways to ease mounting tensions along the treacherous high-altitude friction points in eastern Ladakh.
- News18.com New Delhi
- Last update: September 22, 2020 11:57 PM IST
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Senior Indian and Chinese army commanders held the sixth round of talks on September 21, where they had a “sincere and in-depth exchange of views” on stabilizing the situation along the Royal Line of Control (LAC) in the eastern Ladakh, said a joint report. statement issued by the two parties on Tuesday.
However, the statement did not mention the separation on the ground or the status quo ante, and agreed to “seriously implement” the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on the ground and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments. The two sides also resolved to stop sending more troops to the front, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground, and avoid taking actions that could complicate the environment.
The statement said the two sides agreed to take practical measures to properly resolve problems on the ground and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas. He said both sides also resolved to hold the seventh round of talks with the military commanders as soon as possible.
Government sources said that the marathon talks between the two armies focused on ways to defuse rising tensions along the treacherous high-altitude friction points in eastern Ladakh in line with their recent agreement and considering the harsh winter ahead. about.
The sources said that the Chinese side insisted during the 14-hour meeting on the withdrawal of Indian troops from the strategic heights around the southern shore of Lake Pangong, but the Indian delegation clearly conveyed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA ) will first dislodge the areas from Finger 4 to Finger 8.
The foothills of the mountain in the area are known as Fingers. A common assessment that emerged at the meeting was that there should be no further escalation of tensions as the situation had deteriorated in the Chushul sector after three incidents of shooting into the air by Chinese troops in the past three weeks, the sources said. .
“The aim was to ease tensions,” said a source. The Indian side conveyed its position as the two delegations deliberated extensively on the implementation of the five-point agreement reached between India and China on September 10 to ease the border confrontation that began in early May.
The Indian delegation is also known to have insisted on a time-bound implementation of the agreement finalized during extensive talks between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Sources said the agenda for Monday’s talks was to lay out a specific timetable for the implementation of the five-point agreement.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the two sides exchanged insightful views on how to alleviate the current situation in the border areas.
“The two sides agreed to continue to hold dialogue and consultation on this front,” Wang said at a news conference when asked to provide details on the latest round of military talks. Indian government sources said the talks started around 9 am in Moldo on the Chinese side of LAC in the Chushul sector of India in eastern Ladakh and ended at 11 pm.
The two sides also mentioned the harsh winter in the Ladakh region starting in October, when temperatures drop to minus 25 degrees Celsius and oxygen becomes scarce, the sources said. The Indian delegation was led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14th Indian Army Corps.
For the first time, the Indian team for the military talks also included a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA). MEA Deputy Secretary Naveen Srivastava, who has been involved in diplomatic talks with China in the border row under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border issues, was part of the delegation. The team also included Lt. Gen. PGK Menon, who is expected to succeed Singh as 14th Corps commander next month.
The fifth round of talks with Corps commanders on August 2 lasted almost 11 hours, while the fourth round lasted for almost 15 hours on July 14.
The sources said the Indian army has made elaborate arrangements to maintain the current level of troop and weapons deployment in all advanced areas in eastern Ladakh and other sensitive high-altitude sectors in the harsh winter months. They said that the situation remained tense on both the southern and northern shores of the Pangong Lake area, as well as other points of friction.
There have been at least three attempts by PLA soldiers to “intimidate” Indian troops along the north and south shores of Pangong Lake in the past three weeks, where shots were even fired into the air for the first time at LAC in 45 years. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory on the southern shore of Lake Pangong on the midnight of August 29-30.
On September 7, Chinese troops again made an unsuccessful attempt to get close to the Indian position and even fired into the air in the Mukhpari area of the Rezang-La mountain range on the southern shore of Pangong Lake. When Jaishankar and Wang were ready for talks in Moscow, Chinese soldiers fired a series of “warning shots” into the air on the north shore of Lake Pangong to “intimidate” Indian troops, Indian army sources said.
India occupied a series of strategic heights on the southern shore of Pangong Lake and strengthened its presence in the Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese action. China has been occupying the areas between Finger 4 and Finger 8.
(With PTI inputs)
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