India, China “positively” evaluate outcome of 6th round of talks of their army commanders — MEA

New Delhi, Sep. 30 (PTI): India and China on Wednesday held another round of diplomatic dialogue on the border standoff in eastern Ladakh, and emphasised the need to implement the decisions arrived at the last round of military talks to avoid misunderstandings and maintain stability on the ground.

After the virtual talks under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said the two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and “positively evaluated” the outcome of the sixth meeting of their senior commanders last week.

“They emphasised the need to implement the steps outlined in the joint press release issued after the last meeting of the senior commanders so as to avoid misunderstandings and to maintain stability on the ground. In this context, the need to strengthen communication, especially between the ground commanders, was emphasized by both sides,” the MEA said in a statement.

Corps commanders of the two sides held a nearly 14-hour-long meeting on September 21 following which they announced a slew of decisions to de-escalate the tense situation.

The decisions included to stop sending more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

On Wednesday’s talks, the MEA also said the two sides reviewed the current situation along the LAC and had frank and detailed discussions on the developments since the last meeting of the WMCC on August 20.

“They also noted that the agreement between the two Foreign Ministers should be sincerely implemented to ensure disengagement at all the friction points along the LAC,” the MEA said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in Moscow in the backdrop of a deteriorating situation in eastern Ladakh triggered by a fresh confrontation between the armies of the two countries.

At the meeting on September 10, the two sides reached a five-point agreement that included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).