Rajnath Singh meets his Chinese counterpart in Moscow
Moscow: Amidst heightened tension with China in eastern Ladakh, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held talks with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) gathering of Defence Ministers in Russia’s Moscow.
This was the first high-level face-to-face meeting between the two sides after the border row escalated in eastern Ladakh in early May.
Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Indian Ambassador to Russia DB Venkatesh Varma were part of the Indian delegation at the talks that began at around 9:30pm. The meeting lasted for 2 hours 20 minutes.
The meeting between Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh and Chinese Defence Minister, General Wei Fenghe in Moscow is over. The meeting lasted for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 4, 2020
Earlier in the day, Mr Singh emphasised that a climate of trust, non-aggression, sensitivity towards each other and peaceful resolution of differences are among key aspects to ensure regional peace and stability.
“Peaceful stable and secure region of SCO member states – which is home to over 40% of global population, demands a climate of trust and cooperation, non-aggression, respect for international rules and norms, sensitivity to each other’s interest and peaceful resolution of differences,” the minister said while addressing the combined meeting of defence ministers of SCO, Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states.
The defence minister also talked about the threat of terrorism and extremism and pitched for having institutional capacity to deal with the challenges.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh meeting the Chinese Defence Minister, General Fenghe in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/BDXFAYAVjn
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 4, 2020
Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian soldiers thwarted Chinese moves to unilaterally change the LAC in the Chushul sector.
The Indian Army occupied dominating heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso and Rechin La near Rezang La on August 29-30 night.
SCO is an eight-nation regional grouping which primarily focuses on issues relating to security and defence.
This was Mr Singh’s second visit to Moscow since the border stand-off with China began in early May.
