Defense Minister Rajnath Singh (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: Amid anger in Beijing over the Indian army occupying strategic heights in the Ladakh region, Minister of Defense Rajnath singh on Thursday he refrained from committing to a meeting requested by his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the defense ministers meeting Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Moscow.
Sources here said Singh cited his “busy schedule” to avoid specifying whether he could meet with the Chinese defense minister.
The Chinese proposal for a dialogue comes amid indications that the military took pre-emptive maneuvers to seize control of strategic heights in the Pangong Tso-Chushul zone. Interestingly, although no meeting with the Chinese defense minister was scheduled, the Indian side expected the Chinese to seek one after the audacious Army operation on the night of August 29.
Singh had a very successful round of talks with Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoigu. Sources here said the meeting, marked by “great personal chemistry” between the two, saw Shoigu reiterating Russia’s policy of not supplying Pakistan with weapons in response to a request from India. Shoigu assured Singh that Russia supported India’s “security interests” and extended his support to the “Make in India” campaign.
Singh thanked Russia for being a reliable source of weapons at crucial times. Singh expressed appreciation for the strong support provided by Russia, in line with India’s defense and security needs, and in this context, highlighted in particular the timely manner in which Russia had responded to requests for particular weapons systems. “said an official statement.
The meeting coincided with the launch of two ‘Indra’ naval exercises by the Indian and Russian navies off the Straits of Malacca. Singh emphasized that the exercises demonstrated the common interests of both countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. “Both sides welcomed the advanced stage of discussions for the establishment in India of a joint venture between India and Russia for the production of AK-203 assault rifles,” the statement said.
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