Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, before flying to Moscow, exchanged views with the heads of staff on the situation in Ladakh on the line of actual control with China, offering to prepare to take “any unprecedented measures”, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the newspaper Economic Times.
Rajnath Singh previously confirmed his willingness to visit Moscow to participate in the Victory Parade on June 24.
At a meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Indian Defense General Bipin Ravat and the chiefs of staff of all the armed forces, Singh proposed “to get prepared for any measures in accordance with the situation on the line of actual control”, British journalists note.
The Minister appealed to the land forces of the republic with a call to remain vigilant on the border with China and to exercise maximum caution during patrol service in the border region. The Indian Navy and Air Force are also tasked with monitoring the situation from the sea and from the air.
Between China and India, there is a long-standing territorial dispute over the ownership of a mountainous area in the north of Kashmir, as well as almost 60 thousand square kilometers in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The actual control line runs in the Ladakh region. In the fall of 1962, the named dispute provoked a border war. In 1993 and 1996, countries signed peacekeeping agreements in disputed areas.
A new round of tension in the region emerged after a clash in the evening of June 15 between the military of the two countries in the Galvan Valley in Ladakh. According to the Indian side, 20 soldiers were killed during the incident.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said the clash came after an attempt by Chinese soldiers to unilaterally change the status quo regarding compliance with the line of actual control in the Galvan Valley.
According to China, Indian border guards illegally crossed the line of actual control, resulting in a clash. The Chinese Foreign Ministry formally protested and introduced India to a new incident at the border.