The two-day talks concluded yesterday and were "held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere marked by a high degree of candour," an Indian Embassy release here said today.
Senior officials of the Foreign Ministries of both countries discussed the situation in Central Asia, "focusing on the very similar" Indian and Chinese approach to political and economic relationships with Central Asian countries, it said.
"They had a conversation on specific issues like regional security and counter-terrorism, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, (SCO), energy security, development partnerships, and people-to-people contacts with the countries of the region," the release said.
"Both India and China are in the neighbourhood of Central Asia and have established close political and economic ties with the countries of the region. Both countries stated that strong relationships with the countries of the Central Asia region were an important priority in their foreign policy," the release said.
This is the first time such a bilateral dialogue focusing on Central Asia where the two countries have long and historical ties was held, reflecting deepening diplomatic engagement between the two neighbours even as they try to sort out friction resulting from recent reported incursions by Chinese troops along the Ladakh border.