Both sides will continue to have meetings of military and diplomatic officials to implement the agreements reached between the two Foreign Ministers

The government has confirmed that India and China will continue military and diplomatic-level talks to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas. The Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday gave a brief account of the four-month long standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, said a report by Outlook India.

Muraleedharan said these attempts were invariably met with an appropriate response from the Indian Army. The report said that on June 6, senior commanders of the two sides agreed on a process for disengagement and subsequently ground commanders held a series of meetings to implement the consensus reached.

“However, the Chinese side departed from this consensus to respect the LAC and tried to unilaterally change the status quo, as a result of which a violent face-off happened in the late evening and night June 15,” the minister said referring to the Galwan Valley clashes. “Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the Senior Commanders level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side.” 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Galwan clashes. The Chinese also suffered, but till date, the PLA has not revealed the figures.

According to the report, Muraleedharan also mentioned the subsequent military and diplomatic talks between India and China. He highlighted the talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Gen. Wei Fenghe in Moscow on September 4 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Moreover, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on September 10 had also interacted with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow.

As such, the report says that both sides will continue to have meetings of military and diplomatic officials to implement the agreements reached between the two Foreign Ministers and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas. The agreement also includes 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 LAC.