India-US 2+2 talks: Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper in New Delhi for third 2+2 dialogue.(FILE)
New Delhi:
With a focus on regional security cooperation, India and the United States are set to hold the third 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Tuesday during which both the sides will sign a military agreement to expand geospatial information sharing between armed forces of the two countries.
On Monday, the Indian Defence Ministry announced that the two sides will sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) that would enhance the geospatial cooperation between them and it is likely to help in improving the accuracy of missile systems of India.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence secretary Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday for talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The timing of the secretaries’ visit holds significance as the US is going into the presidential election next week.
The visit also comes at a time when India and China are locked in a serious military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. At the same time, tensions between China and the US have also soared over a range of issues.
Here are the Updates on India, US 2+2 Dialogue:
Rajnath Singh and Mark Esper reviewed bilateral defence cooperation on Monday
Rajnath Singh and Mark Esper held talks yesterday during which the defence ministers of the two countries reviewed bilateral defence cooperation spanning “military-to-military cooperation, secure communication systems and information sharing, defence trade and industrial issues” and also discussed ways to take bilateral cooperation forward.
India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue to focus on four themes
In a briefing on Friday, a State Department official said that India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue will focus on four themes — regional security cooperation, defence information sharing, military-to-military interactions and defence trade.
Secretary Esper and Minister Rajnath Singh commended the conclusion of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement during the visit, and welcomed the expansion of information-sharing: US Department of Defence https://t.co/IIJx8HL9Dv
– ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2020
The two visiting Secretaries will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence. Later, the US officials will leave for Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence secretary Mark Esper to visit war memorial
Both the US leaders would visit the war memorial and lay wreaths in honour of the soldiers. The 2+2 inter-ministerial talks are scheduled to be held at 10 am today