Joint statement unlikely after RIC virtual meeting

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Russia and China — Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi — for the virtual meeting.

A joint statement is not expected to be issued after the virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping on June 23, being held under the shadow of the India-China border standoff, people familiar with developments said on Monday.

India had been reluctant to join the RIC meeting following the June 15 violent face-off between Indian and Chinese border troops at Galwan Valley that left 20 soldiers dead. (File photo)

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Russia and China — Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi — for the virtual meeting.

The people cited above, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the three sides in the RIC grouping were unable to reach agreement on a draft of the statement as there were differences over a few paragraphs. Further details couldn’t immediately be ascertained.

India had been reluctant to join the RIC meeting following the June 15 violent face-off between Indian and Chinese border troops at Galwan Valley that left 20 soldiers dead. However, it agreed to do so after a push from Russia, a key strategic ally and military hardware supplier for India.

Both Indian and Russian officials have insisted that the June 23 virtual meeting is a trilateral affair — meaning bilateral issues such as the India-China border standoff won’t be on the agenda.

The external affairs ministry has said the RIC meet will focus on the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, and cooperation within the grouping to tackle challenges to financial stability and global security.