Pompeo and Esper will hold high-level 2 + 2 talks with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, covering the full extent of defense and security ties as well as key regional issues. and global.
The two-day visit comes at a time when India is embroiled in a bitter border clash with China, and Pompeo previously indicated that the dialogue is expected to focus on “threats” posed by Beijing.
The trip is part of the latest US effort to bolster allies against an increasingly assertive China, which has made political and military inroads in Asia, analysts say.
Pompeo will also travel to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, two countries in the Indian Ocean where China has financed and built various infrastructures, to the alarm of India and the United States.
The two key Trump administration officials are also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national security adviser Ajit Doval.
Delhi – Defense Minister Rajnath Singh meets with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. The Chief of the Defense Staff, General Bip … https://t.co/Yz1Zl2N9vO
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In recent months, the United States has been stepping up attacks on China over a variety of contentious issues, including the border standoff with India, its military assertiveness in the South China Sea and the way Beijing handled anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, India has sought cold weather gear from the United States as the LAC standoff enters the freezing Himalayan winter and officials said this could be raised during talks.
The two sides are expected to finalize the long-pending BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defense relations. The BECA will allow the exchange of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.
Indo-American defense ties have improved in recent years.
In June 2016, the US designated India as a “senior defense partner” with the intention of elevating defense trade and technology exchange to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.
The two countries signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their armies to use each other’s bases to repair and resupply supplies, as well as provide deeper cooperation.
The two countries signed another pact called COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 that provides for interoperability between the two armies and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.
#WATCH Delhi: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper receives the Honor Guard at the South Block. It was received by… https://t.co/w4G2ZrF4Vw
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According to the US government, India maintains the largest fleet of C-17 and P-8 aircraft outside of the US, and as of 2020, Washington has authorized more than $ 20 billion in defense sales. to India.
The first edition of the 2 + 2 dialogue was held in Delhi in September 2018 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump approved the mechanism.
The second edition of the dialogue took place in Washington in December of last year.
The new framework of the ministerial dialogue was initiated in order to provide a vision for the future for the strategic partnership between the two countries.
(With inputs from agencies)
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