The Governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam held a Regional Committee meeting on Monday to deliberate on longstanding interstate boundary issues, officials said.
The talks centred on the dispute between Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh and the adjoining Tinsukia district of Assam.
The meeting, co-chaired by Arunachal Pradesh Regional Committee chairman Ojing Tasing and his Assam counterpart Atul Bora, was held in Roing in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley district, officials said.
Both Tasing and Bora are ministers in their respective states. Several officials and other ministers also attended the meeting.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to an amicable and mutually acceptable resolution through dialogue and consensus, officials said. Later taking to X, Tasing said the deliberations focused on addressing outstanding boundary-related differences while safeguarding the legitimate rights, interests and aspirations of communities residing in the adjoining areas of the two States.
The discussions underscored the importance of constructive engagement, mutual understanding and consensus in resolving the longstanding boundary issues, while ensuring that the interests of people on both sides are duly protected, he said.
Tasing said both sides emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh and Assam share deep-rooted historical, cultural and social ties, and that differences over boundaries should not undermine the longstanding relationship of friendship and cooperation between the neighbouring states.
The two States have been engaged in institutional-level discussions through Regional Committees as part of efforts to resolve their longstanding boundary differences.
The Namsai Declaration, signed on July 15, 2022, by the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, aimed to reduce the number of disputed border villages from 123 to 86 and establish Regional Committees for joint verification and resolution.
It marked a significant step towards resolving the Assam-Arunachal boundary dispute by providing an institutional framework for sustained dialogue, mutual understanding and consensus-based negotiations to achieve an amicable settlement between the two states. Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share an 804.1 km-long border, parts of which are disputed.
Arunachal Pradesh’s grievance is that during the reorganisation of northeastern states, several forested tracts in the plains that had traditionally belonged to hill tribal chiefs and communities were unilaterally transferred to Assam.
After Arunachal Pradesh achieved statehood in 1987, a tripartite committee was appointed, which recommended that certain territories be transferred from Assam to Arunachal. Assam contested the recommendation, and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. The Northeastern neighbours are now attempting to settle the matter out of court.