India, China decide to have next meeting of Senior Commanders at the earliest: MEA

India and China on Wednesday conducted a meeting wherein they agreed that the next (7th) round of the meeting of Senior Commanders should be held at an early date.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs. The Director-General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation. This was the 19th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The Ministry of External Affairs said, in a statement, the two sides positively evaluated the outcome of the 6th Senior Commanders meeting on September 21. 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 emphasised by both sides, the statement added.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas and had detailed discussions on the developments since the last meeting of the WMCC on August 20.

"The two sides attached importance to the meetings between the two Defence Ministers and the two Foreign Ministers held earlier this month. 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," as per the statement.

Both sides have agreed to continue to maintain close consultations at the diplomatic and military levels.

"They agreed that the next (7th) round of the meeting of Senior Commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols, and fully restore peace and tranquility," the MEA said.

(ANI)

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