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. Mr. 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. An unspecified number of Chinese troops were also killed, including a senior commander, in a brutal fight that lasted for several hours. “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. 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, Mr 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. Both sides have, however, engaged in top-level military talks to defuse the situation. A nearly 12-hour meeting of Lieutenant Generals on Monday led to a “mutual consensus to disengage”, army sources said Tuesday. A similar consensus was reached after a meeting on June 6, when India and China agreed to pull back troops after tension followed skirmishes between two sides in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake region on May 5 and 6.
