Eastern Ladakh row: India, China agree to hold next round of talks soon

India and China on Tuesday agreed to hold the next round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve complete disengagement from all friction points in eastern Ladakh to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral ties.

The two sides reviewed the situation in eastern Ladakh at a meeting held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs.

"The two sides exchanged views on the current situation along the LAC in the Western Sector in Eastern Ladakh," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

"They agreed that as instructed by the two foreign ministers, both sides should continue the discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC at the earliest to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations," the MEA said.

It further said the two sides "agreed to hold the next (16th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols."

The eastern Ladakh is officially referred to as Western Sector.