New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday extended homage to the soldiers lost their lives in Galwan Valley clashes. The Minister said, the courage, bravery, and sacrifice of the Army personnel killed in the Galwan Valley clashes will continue to inspire coming generations.
The clashes in June 2020 were the most serious military confrontations between India and China in decades.
“Today, we pay homage to those brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice while protecting our nation in Galwan valley. Their courage, bravery and sacrifice will continue to inspire coming generations,” the defence minister tweeted.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/1669239988255588353
The eastern Ladakh border standoff escalated significantly following the clashes June 15, 2020, in which 20 Indian Army personnel laid down their lives.
In February 2021, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes though it is widely believed that the death toll on the Chinese side was much higher.
The Indians and Chinese have held a series of meetings, ever since the Galwan clashes happened to reduce tensions along the frontier as the two sides are still locked in a standoff at a few friction points. Both sides in April 2023 had a ministerial-level meeting, where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the border issues with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu.
Following the escalation in tension in the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Army has taken a series of measures to boost its operational capabilities in the eastern sector that include procurement of all terrain vehicles, precision guided ammunition, high-tech surveillance equipment, radars and weapons.
The militaries of the two countries have held 18 rounds of high-level talks so far with an objective of taking forward the disengagement process in the remaining friction points and restoring peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The 18th round of high-level military talks between the two sides were held April 23 during which they agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.
The two sides completed disengagement in several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. June 8, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that any expectation of normalisation of India’s ties with China when the border situation in eastern Ladakh is not normal is unfounded.
“The fact is the relationship is impacted. And the relationship will continue to be impacted. If there is any expectation that somehow we will normalise (ties) while the border situation is not normal, that’s not a well-founded expectation,” he said.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
PTI