New Delhi, June 23: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will come face-to-face-albeit virtually-with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday, against the backdrop of New Delhi’s frayed ties with Beijing over the Galwan Valley clashes.

Both the leaders along with their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will take part in Russia-China-India virtual conference.

The meeting comes at a time when tensions between India and China are heightened following a clash at Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two armies in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

Reportedly, India was initially reluctant to join the Russia-India-China trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting but agreed to participate in it following a request from Moscow, the host of the conference.

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Interestingly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reached Russia on a three-day visit to attend a military parade in Moscow on June 24 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Russian people in the second world war.

He will have a series of meetings with top Russian military brass. A senior Chinese leader is also expected to be in Moscow to attend the parade.

India lost 20 Army personnel in the violent hand-to-hand clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on June 15, in the biggest ever confrontation between the two sides after a gap of 45 years.

In a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi June 17, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called the clashes a “premeditated” action by Chinese PLA and said they will have a “serious impact” on the bilateral relationship.

A spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava on Thursday confirmed Jaishankar ‘s participation at the RIC meeting.

He said the meeting will deliberate on the coronavirus pandemic as well as issues relating to challenges to global security and financial stability.

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It is unlikely that the border standoff between India and China will figure in the meeting as bilateral issues are usually not discussed under the trilateral format, sources said, citing convention.

“It will be a good opportunity for all the three countries to come together and discuss regional issues in order to synchronize our views to contribute to support regional stability,” a senior diplomat told PTI last week on the condition of anonymity.

Russia has already said that India and China should resolve the border dispute through talks and that a constructive relationship between the two countries was important for regional stability.

The three foreign ministers are also expected to deliberate extensively on the evolving political situation in Afghanistan after the US inked a peace deal with the Taliban in February.

The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing the curtain on Washington’s 18-year war in the country.

The meeting of the RIC foreign ministers is also expected to delve into key connectivity projects in the region including the implementation of the 7,200 km-long International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) linking India, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia with Europe.

News Source: OneIndia

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