India / Rajnath Singh not to meet Chinese Defence Minister in Moscow

New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will not be meeting his Chinese counterpart in Moscow, even though both ministers will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the victory day parade in the Russian capital on Wednesday.

"Indian Defence Minister will not be meeting the Chinese Defence Minister,” confirmed the Defence Ministry spokesperson, scotching reports in the Chinese media that such a bilateral meeting might be on the cards.

Singh’s visit to Moscow is the first official tour by an Indian political leader ever since the Narendra Modi government announced a nation-wide lock-down on March 24 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government's decision to stay away from a bilateral meeting, sources said, could be a reflection of the Centre’s hardened position on the Ladakh clash in which the PLA troops violated all bilateral pacts and a mutually agreed peace plan to attack Indian soldiers who were there to ensure implementation of the plan.

New Delhi repeatedly conveyed to Beijing that Chinese PLA troops need to vacate the posts in the Galwan valley, which is within the Indian territory besides restoring the status quo ante in relations to the positions held by India till early May. The same was conveyed to the Chinese side once again by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, GOC, 14 Corps in the 11 hour long meeting that he held with his Chinese counterpart on Monday.

Following the marathon meeting between the military leaders, Global Times – a State-backed Chinese media – reported that a meeting between Singh and Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Moscow is expected.

Singh on Tuesday met his Russian counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional issues. Quicker delivery of military platforms like the S-400 missile defence system and assurance on the supply of critical spares was on the agenda of bilateral talks.

“My discussions were very positive and productive. I have been assured that ongoing contracts will be maintained and not just maintained, in a number of cases will be taken forward in a shorter time. All our proposals have received positive responses from the Russian side,” Singh said in a statement without disclosing the specifics.