After a nearly 14-hour marathon meeting between the Indian and Chinese military delegates, the Indian Army has put out an official statement on Thursday, July 16, saying both sides are committed to complete disengagement.
The talks to disengage and ease tensions at the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, Pangong Lake and Hot Springs areas started at 11.30 am on Tuesday (July 14) and ended only at 2 am on Wednesday (July 15).
This was the fourth meeting between the delegates that happened on the Indian side at Chushul after a month of a bitter face-off between India and China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
The third meeting between 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Liu Lin continued for almost 12 hours at the Chushul-Moldo border on June 6.
India had put out a strong message that the Chinese PLA troops had not abided by the disengagement consensus.
Before the discussion started, India's main aim was to get the PLA to remove its tanks, artillery, and additional forces at Pangong Lake and Depsang areas.
Both India and China are locked in a 10-week-long stand-off at multiple locations, hitherto unprecedented, along the Ladakh border.
Here is the full statement issued by the Indian Army:
India and China have been engaged in discussions through established military and diplomatic channels to address the prevailing situation along LAC.
The Commanders from PLA and the Indian Army held meeting at Chushul, on the Indian side, for the fourth round of talks, on July 14.
The engagement was consistent with consensus between Special Representatives of India-China on 5 July, to discuss complete disengagement.
The Senior Commanders reviewed progress on implementation of the 1st phase of disengagement and discussed further steps to ensure complete disengagement.
India and China remain committed to the objective of complete disengagement. This process is intricate and requires constant verification. They are taking it forward through regular meetings at the diplomatic and military levels.
