Updated: September 5, 2020 7:32:40 am
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh meets with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, in Moscow on Friday. (Source: Photo Express)
Hours after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla described the situation along the Royal Line of Control in Ladakh as “unprecedented” since the 1962 war with China, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart Chinese, General Wei Fenghe. held a meeting on friday night in Moscow to try to resolve the border crisis.
Singh and Wei met for 2 hours and 20 minutes on the sidelines of a meeting of Defense Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Wei had sought to meet Singh on Thursday, days after Indian troops occupied strategic points on the southern shore of Pangong Tso and Rechin La.
India hopes that this change of situation on the ground in Ladakh will bring the Chinese back to the separation negotiating table. The Chinese have been reluctant to step back on the north shore of Pangong Tso and on Gogra Post after crossing the points that India claims mark LAC.
Ahead of the meeting at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow, Shringla, speaking at a seminar in New Delhi organized by the Indian Council on World Affairs, said that India “will not compromise” on “territorial integrity and sovereignty” but is “open to resolve pending issues”. through dialogue ”.
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Responding to questions, Shringla said: “I think you are right in saying that we have had an unprecedented situation on our border between India and China. We have never had a situation like this since 1962 … we have lost, for the first time, the lives of soldiers, which has not happened in the last 40 years. It is an unprecedented situation ”.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe met in Moscow on Friday night to try to resolve the border crisis. (Source: Photo Express)
“We have also seen that there has been an attempt to take unilateral action… there appears to be an effort to change the facts on the ground… we will be firm and determined to resist this. And as far as we are concerned, there will be no compromise on our sovereignty and integrity, ”he said.
“At the same time, we, as a responsible nation, are always ready to speak out or participate … even in the depths of the Covid crisis, we have kept our lines of communication open. Our senior commanders have been speaking on the ground, diplomats have been speaking among themselves, both in Beijing and in Delhi. Even as we speak, the ground commanders are talking to each other. “
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“But it is a fact that it cannot continue to function as usual… unless there is peace and quiet in our border areas, the normal bilateral relationship will suffer. There is a link between what is happening on the border and our broader relationship and that fact, I think, is very, very evident, “he said.
“We have not seen this magnitude of accumulation of forces on the border … But the important thing is that during the difficult moments of this crisis, we have been engaged, both militarily and diplomatically, with China.”
At the SCO meeting in Moscow, Singh told the meeting: “The peaceful, stable and secure region of the SCO member states, which is home to more than 40 percent of the world’s population, demands a climate of trust and confidence. cooperation, non-aggression, respect for international rules and norms, sensitivity towards the interests of others and the peaceful resolution of differences “.
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“If I can borrow an idea articulated by our Prime Minister in a different context, our goal should be ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region,'” he said.
On the situation in the Middle East, Singh said that “India has vital interests and ties of civilization and culture with all the Gulf states” and asked the countries of the region, “all of which are dear and friendly to India” to “Resolve differences, dialogue based on mutual respect, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of others.”
On Afghanistan, he said the security situation there “remains a concern” and that “India will continue to support the efforts of the Afghan people and Government for an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and controlled peace process. Afghans “.
Singh reaffirmed India’s commitment to the evolution of a global security architecture that is open, transparent, inclusive, rule-based and anchored in international law.
Also on Friday, Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar He participated in a videoconference of BRICS Foreign Ministers that included his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Later, in a Twitter post, Jaishankar said: “We exchanged views on the international situation and regional hotspots, including Afghanistan and West Asia. He urged the full support of BRICS in reforming the UN Security Council as an exercise of our collective faith in meaningful multilateralism. “
Meanwhile, Russian and Indian navy ships are conducting the Indra Navy exercise in the Bay of Bengal. The biennial bilateral maritime exercise, the Indian Navy, “epitomizes the long-term strategic relationship between the two navies.”
The Indian Navy is represented by the guided missile destroyer INS Ranvijay, the indigenous frigate INS Sahyadri and the fleet tanker INS Shakti, along with their integral helicopters, while Russia has dispatched the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, the destroyer Admiral Tributs and the Vladivostok-based Pacific Fleet tanker Boris Butoma.
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