India and China on Sunday are set to hold the 13th round of talks to address the ongoing military stand-off between the two countries, Army sources told news agency ANI.
What is likely to be discussed?
The sources also divulged that the talks will be held at Moldo (Chusul) on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Resolution of friction point at Hot Springs will be discussed during the talks, added the source.
The talks are scheduled to start at 10:30 AM at the Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, reported PTI.
According to PTI, the Indian side is expected to seek disengagement as soon as possible in the remaining friction points besides pressing for resolution of issues in Depsang Bulge and Demchok.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday had said that it expected China to work towards early resolution of the remaining issue along the Line of Control (LoC) in Eastern Ladakh by fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols.
The 12th round of talks had taken place on July 31. Days after the talks, the two armies completed the disengagement process in Gogra, which was seen as a significant forward movement towards the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region.
The 13th round of talks is taking place in the backdrop of two recent incidents of attempted transgressions by the Chinese troops -- one in the Barahoti sector of Uttarakhand and another in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "It is our expectation that China will work towards early resolution of the remaining issue along the Line of Control (LoC) in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols." Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and both the leaders discussed the border tensions and disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in border areas.
The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year
The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August.
In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
