Indian, Chinese Defence Ministers to discuss border dispute

Moscow/New Delhi: Indian Defence Minister Rajanth Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe will meet later on Friday to discuss their border disputes.

Both are in Moscow to participate in the joint meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Rajnath Singh, accompanied by a delegation including the Defence Secretary and other senior officials, also participated in the 75th anniversary event of 'Victory Day', marking the Soviet Union's triumph in World War II.

Addressing the joint meeting, he said India is committed to the evolution of a global security architecture which will be open, transparent, inclusive, rules-based and anchored in international laws.

He also congratulated Russia for successfully managing the coronavirus pandemic. "We applaud Russian scientists and health workers for spearheading the Sputnik V vaccine. I wish you all health and success in this time of pandemic!" he said.

The minister also appreciated Russia for organising the annual anti-terror exercise "Peace Mission", that has contributed to building trust and sharing of experience among defence forces.

"India values the works of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure. We laud RATS' recent work in the cyber domain to prevent the spread of extremism. The adoption of anti-terror measures by the SCO Council to counter extremist propaganda and de-radicalisation is a significant decision," he said.

Rajnath Singh told the member countries representatives that there is need of institutional capacity to deal with both traditional and non-traditional threats - above all, terrorism, drug-trafficking and transnational crime.

"As you all are aware, India unequivocally condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns its proponents," he said.

He noted that 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War as well as the formation of the United Nations, which underpins a peaceful world, where international laws and sovereignty of states are respected and states refrain from unilateral aggression on one another.

India's participation in the Victory Parade on June 24 in Moscow was homage from India to the unparalleled contribution of Soviet people to free this world of Fascism, Nazism and their revanchist passion, he said.

"Memory of WWII teaches us of the follies of aggression of one state upon another, which brings destruction to all. Our forefathers, including those from India and former Soviet Union, made supreme sacrifices to resist aggression & expansionism," Singh added.