India and China have agreed to disengage their troops in the Gogra Heights area of eastern Ladakh. This was one of the friction areas between the two sides since the Ladakh standoff started last year

In a significant step towards resolving the Ladakh standoff, India and China have agreed to disengage their troops from the Gogra Heights area of eastern Ladakh. The two sides had deployed their troops against each other in this region since May last year.

Government sources said India and China agreed to disengage troops in the Gogra Heights area during the 12th Corps Commander-level talks on Saturday. This meeting was held at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It lasted nearly nine hours.

The last disengagement agreement between the two sides took place nearly six months ago when India and China agreed to disengage troops in the Pangong Lake area. The disengagement in the Gogra Heights had been pending since then.

Sources said the follow-up actions on Saturday's agreement are expected to take place "in the near future".

The 12th round of Corps Commander-level meeting was held following the meeting of foreign ministers of India and China on July 14 and the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) meeting held on June 25.

Sources said the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.

The two sides also noted that the 12th Corps Commander-level meet was "constructive", which further "enhanced mutual understanding".

"They agreed to resolve these remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations. The two sides also agreed that in the interim, they would continue their effective efforts in ensuring stability along the LAC in the Western Sector and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity," a source said.