NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese armies have arrived at a “mutual consensus to disengage” from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, in a significant development that came in the midst of escalating tension following the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash at Galwan Valley, military sources said on Tuesday.
The decision to disengage the forces, locked in a bitter standoff for the last six weeks in eastern Ladakh, was taken at a nearly 11-hour-long meeting between senior Indian and Chinese commanders in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday.
The talks were held in a “cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere” and it was decided that modalities for disengagement from all areas in eastern Ladakh will be taken forward by both the sides, the sources said while giving details of the second Lt General-level meeting.
“There was a mutual consensus to disengage. Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides,” said a source.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing said the two sides had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views on the outstanding issues and agreed to take necessary measures to cool down the situation.”
Sources said the ground commanders will hold a series of meetings in the next couple of weeks to finalise the detailed framework of disengagement.
Russia rules out
mediation
Russia on Tuesday ruled out mediating between India and China following the violent clashes in the Galwan Valley, saying the two nations do not need any kind of assistance to resolve their disputes, a report from Moscow said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks came after a virtual conference of the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also attended the conference. “I do not think that India and China need any help, any kind of assistance specifically aimed at helping them to resolve disputes,” Lavrov said.
“As soon as the border incidents took place, meetings were held and contact was established between the military command on the ground and the foreign ministers,” Sputnik News quoted Lavrov as saying. (PTI)
