Cautious optimism as India-China get closer towards disengagement at Gogra-Hot Springs

New Delhi, Aug 03: There appears to be some headway made during the 12th round of the India-China military commander level talks held last week. Both sides have agreed to disengage at Gogra and Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh.

However there is no headway made when it comes to disengaging at the crucial Depsang. A joint statement without going into specifics said that both sides have agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols.

The military dialogue that lasted nine hours was constructive, which further enhanced military understanding. There was a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the resolution of the remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh the statement said.

It further said that both sides agreed to keep the momentum of the dialogue and negotiations and will continue with effective efforts to ensure stability along the LAC and jointly maintaining peace and tranquility in the interim.

Sources tell OneIndia that the Chinese had agreed to disengage at Gogra and Hot Springs twice last year, but had not done so. We are watching with certain amount of optimism, the source said while adding that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok would take much longer.

The meeting that took place on Saturday lasted nine hours and came almost four months after the last round of talks. On July 14, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.