External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the top commanders of the Indian and Chinese military have held nine rounds of talks to withdraw troops in eastern Ladakh, but the talks so far have not shown any ground effect.
However, he also said that negotiations are currently going on between the military commanders and such talks will continue between the two countries in the future.
In Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Jaishankar said, the issue of withdrawal of troops is very complicated. It depends on the soldiers. You should be aware of your (geographical) location and events. Military commanders are working on it.
The Foreign Minister said the military commander has held nine rounds of talks so far. We feel that some progress has been made but this cannot be seen as a solution. Pointing to the talks between the Foreign Ministers and Defense Ministers of the two countries in Moscow last year, the Foreign Minister said, "I and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to their counterparts last year and it was agreed That in some parts the troops should retreat.
In fact, Jaishankar was asked if there could be a ministerial dialogue between the two countries over the skirmishes between the soldiers of India and China. It is noteworthy that India-China has been facing a military deadlock in East Ladakh since May 5 last year. Several rounds of military and diplomatic level negotiations have been held between the two countries to end the deadlock, but no solution has been found so far.
18% increase in capital expenditure in defense, highest in 15 years
Jaishankar, referring to the recently introduced budget, said, along with capital expenditure on defense, additional expenditure has to be done. Capital expenditure has been increased by 18 percent, the highest in the last 15 years. "During the lockdown last year, 4 million Indians stranded abroad were brought to the country by 17,000 flights," he said.
After Corona, India is now very different from before
Jaishankar said of the health challenges that arose during the Corona epidemic, that India is very different from what it was after the Corona epidemic. Today the health and welfare sectors have become important for us and this is the reason why the government has given this sector a big priority in the budget.
25 more countries lined up for Made in India vaccine
The foreign minister said, Corona vaccines are being supplied to 15 countries, while 25 more countries are queuing up for the vaccine. Vaccines are being supplied to some poor countries, while some countries are buying at the fixed prices of the Government of India. At the same time, some countries are directly contacting the companies making the vaccine.