Rajnath meets Chinese, Russian counterparts in Bishkek; regional security on agenda

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun in Bishkek to discuss maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and broader regional security concerns. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' conclave, came as New Delhi and Beijing move to repair their frosty relations. "It was a pleasure to interact with the Defence Minister of China Admiral Dong Jun during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek," Singh said on social media without mentioning the issues discussed.

There is no official word yet on what transpired in the talks between Singh and Dong. It is learnt that Singh and Dong discussed the situation along the LAC, underlining the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas, as well as regional security issues. It is not immediately known whether the West Asia crisis figured in the talks. The meeting came amid India and China looking at rebuilding their frosty relations. In the last few months, both sides have initiated a series of measures to reset their ties that came under severe strain following the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020. Following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides withdrew their troops from several friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. In October 2024, the two sides firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh. Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan and took a number of decisions to improve the ties. In August last year, PM Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the annual SCO summit. Modi and Xi held extensive talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit. In the meeting, Modi said India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity. Defence Minister Singh also met his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov in Bishkek. "Great interaction with Russian Defence Minister, Andrei Belousov during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meet in Bishkek," Singh said.

It is learnt that Singh and Belousov discussed various ongoing defence acquisition projects, including Russia's supply of S-400 air defence missiles to India. In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to procure five units of the missile systems, and three of them have already been delivered. The fourth unit is expected to be delivered in the next few days, while the fifth one is likely to be sent in November. Last month, New Delhi cleared the procurement of a fresh batch of five S-400 missile systems from Russia t­hat will take the total number to 10. Singh also met his counterpart from Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, on the sidelines of the SCO meet. "Delighted to meet the Minister of Defence of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, during the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek. Our talks focused on strengthening defence cooperation between both countries," Singh said on 'X'. The defence minister landed in the capital city of Kyrgyzstan on Monday to attend the SCO conclave.