India and China have reached an agreement on military disengagement along their disputed border, New Delhi said, a step toward reducing frictions between the nuclear-armed neighbors that comes ahead of an expected meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of a summit in Russia.

India announced on Monday that it reached agreement with China on the resumption of military patrols along their disputed border in the Himalayas.

Four years ago, several soldiers from both sides were killed in a bloody melee. Any thaw between the countries could have global implications.