At RIC meeting, Jaishankar says India's role in World War-II not acknowledged; recalls Dr Kotnis

The Russia, India and China (RIC) meeting began in Moscow today as India's foreign minister S.Jaishankar took part in the meet through a video link.

During the meeting, Jaishankar said that "it is important to realise the contributions that India has made".

Also Read: After commander-level talks, China says 'decided to take steps to cool down things at the border'

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"The challenges today are not of concepts and norms but of practices," India's foreign minister said, adding, "the leading voices should respect international law, supporting multilateral cooperation and promoting partners" as he thanked Russia for hosting the summit.

It is India's first meeting with Chinese officials after the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese troops in which 20 Indian soldiers had died last week.

"We welcome the special meeting, the victory over Nazism and fascism with more than 2 million Indians who fought the war. The medical mission of Dr Kotnis worked in China. India's contribution was not given proper acknowledgement and this injustice has to be corrected," India's foreign minister said.

Dr Kotnis was one of the five Indian physicians dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the second Sin-Japanese war in 1938.

"Beyond this reality, UN began with 50 members, now it has more than 193, its decision-making cannot be in denial on this reality," Jaishankar asserted.

"We must realise the changing realities," he said. India's external affairs minister asserted that when the Indian contingent marches at the Red Square on Wednesday during Russia's victory celebrations over Nazi Germany in 1945, "it will be the difference that we made."