Defence Current Affairs And Updates 18th June 2020

Hemanth Kasturi
June 18, 2020
674

India elected to Non-Permanent Seat of UNSC 8^th Time

India is elected to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2021-22 with overwhelming support at The United Nations.
India gets 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled.

India to send Tri-Service contingent to participate in 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II in Moscow

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, there will be a military parade in Moscow to honour the heroism and sacrifices made by the Russian and other friendly people. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had written to President of the Russian Federation Mr Vladimir Putin a congratulatory message on the occasion of the Victory Day – May 9, 2020. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has also sent a congratulatory message to his counterpart Mr Sergei Shoigu on the occasion.
Defence Minister of Russia has invited an Indian contingent to take part in the Victory Day Parade scheduled to be held on June 24, 2020 in Moscow. Raksha Mantri has agreed to send a 75-member Tri-Service contingent to participate in the parade, where contingents of other countries are also expected to participate. The participation in the parade will be a mark of tribute and solidarity with the people of Russia at a time when they remember their heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh reviews Ladakh Border situation with CDS, three Services Chiefs

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh this morning reviewed the Ladakh Border situation in a meeting at South Block today that was attended by Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary Department of Military Affairs General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria.
Later in a tweet Shri Rajnath Singh mourned the loss of lives in the border clashes and said, “The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.
“The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The Nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s brave hearts”, he said.

PM’s Late-Night Meet with Top 4 Ministers, Army Chief Over Ladakh Clash

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army Chief General MM Naravane were at the meeting that took place around 10 pm. This was the last in a series of meetings that took place yesterday as India weighed its response to the gravest escalation at the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border with China, in five decades.
China’s defence ministry confirmed the incident had resulted in casualties but did not give details.
The United States, which has mounting frictions with China, but sees India as an emerging ally, said it is hoping for a “peaceful resolution”, and that it was monitoring the situation closely.
The UN called for both sides to “exercise maximum restraint”.
Beijing claimed Indian soldiers “crossed the border line twice… provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides”.
Foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava, rejecting China’s aggressive claims, said the clash arose from “an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo” on the border.
The violence followed weeks of tension since May 9, when several Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in a clash involving fists and stone-throwing at Naku La in Sikkim.
The massive escalation took place while both sides were in talks to resolve tensions at the border and spoke of “consensus”.

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