India and China do not need outside help in resolving long-standing issues between the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday at a virtual meeting of RIC (Russia-India-China) foreign ministers.
Lavrov’s remark comes amid tension between India and China over clashes in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan region last week that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and 76 injured.
“I don’t think India and China need any help from outside. I don’t think they need to be helped, especially when it comes to country issues. They can solve them on their own,” Sergei Lavrov said, adding, “this means recent events”.
“New Delhi and Beijing have shown commitment to a peaceful resolution. They started meetings at the level of defence officers and foreign ministers and neither has made any statement to indicate either will pursue non-diplomatic solutions,” he was quoted by news agency ANI.
According to news agency PTI, India was initially reluctant to join today’s trilateral meeting but agreed following a request from host nation Russia.
At the meeting India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on all countries to respect international law and help build a durable world order. Without naming China, or any other country, Jaishankar urged “leading voices of the world” to be exemplars in every way.
The violent clash in Ladakh has seen relations between India and China take a significantly worrying turn for the worse over the past few days.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is on a 3-day visit to Russia to attend a grand military parade in Moscow that marks the 75th anniversary of Soviet Russia’s victory over Germany in Second World War.
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