New Delhi, June 17: A day after violent clashes erupted in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley between Indian and Chinese armies, foreign ministers of both the countries discussed the issue on Wednesday. Foreign minister S Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for the first time after 20 Indian Army soldiers attained martyrdom in the violent clashes. Meanwhile, 45 Chinese soldiers also reportedly killed or severely injured. Jaishankar underlined that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship. the FM stated , "What happened in Galwan was premeditated and planned action by China which was responsible for the sequence of events.”Names of 20 Indian Army Personnel Who Were Martyred in The India-China Face-Off in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

He said, "The need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps." India also reiterated that the two sides should scrupulously and sincerely implement the understanding reached by Senior Commanders on June 6. The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said, "Troops of both sides should also abide by bilateral agreements and protocols. They should strictly respect and observe LAC & shouldn't take any unilateral action to alter it."

MEA's Statement:

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to 20 Indian Army soldiers who attained martyrdom during the violent clashes in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. Giving a stern warning to China, PM Modi said that India would retaliate if provoked and sacrifice of the soldiers would not go in vain. Two minutes of silence was also observed before the start of PM-CMs meet to discuss COVID-19 crisis.

Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in Galwan Valley for the last five weeks since May 5. Talks are also going on between India and China. The two armies are engaged in a standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2020 05:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).