Rajnath Singh pays tributes to soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clashes

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday paid homage to the Army personnel killed in the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between India and China in decades.

On the third anniversary of the deadly confrontation, Singh said the courage, bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers will continue to inspire coming generations.

"Today, we pay homage to those brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice while protecting our nation in Galwan valley. Their courage, bravery and sacrifice will continue to inspire coming generations," the defence minister tweeted.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff escalated significantly following the clashes on June 15, 2020, in which 20 Indian Army personnel laid down their lives.

In February 2021, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes though it is widely believed that the death toll on the Chinese side was much higher.

The Indian and Chinese militaries are engaged in talks to reduce tensions along the frontier as the two sides are still locked in a standoff in a few friction points though they managed to disengage from some others.

Following the escalation in tension in the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Army has taken a series of measures to boost its operational capabilities in the eastern sector that include procurement of all terrain vehicles, precision guided ammunition, high-tech surveillance equipment, radars and weapons.

The militaries of the two countries have held 18 rounds of high-level talks so far with an objective of taking forward the disengagement process in the remaining friction points and restoring peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The 18th round of high-level military talks between the two sides were held on April 23 during which they agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

The two sides completed disengagement in several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. On June 8, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that any expectation of normalisation of India's ties with China when the border situation in eastern Ladakh is not normal is unfounded.

"The fact is the relationship is impacted. And the relationship will continue to be impacted. If there is any expectation that somehow we will normalise (ties) while the border situation is not normal, that's not a well-founded expectation," he said.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.