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Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla (Pic Via MEAIndia)
In a major development, merely hours after Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe held two hours and 20 minutes long meeting in Russia amid the tensed state of affairs at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla described the situation along the India-China border as 'unprecedented'.
As reported by Indian Express, Shringla said in an out-right fashion that India will not yield on "territorial integrity and sovereignty" but is "open to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue." He added, "We have never had the sort of situation since 1962. We have lost, for the first time, the lives of soldiers, which has not happened in the last 40 years. It is an unprecedented situation."
Going all out and talking tough, Shringla underscored that it cannot be business as usual unless there is peace and tranquillity in our border areas.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that the meeting between Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Fenghe took place in Moscow upon a request by the latter. Singh and General Fenghe are in Moscow at the moment to partake in the gathering of the Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).