US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Chief Mark Esper met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval Tuesday to discuss challenges of strategic importance to the two countries. The two sides highlighted the need to carry out shared goals and build capacity across domains, people familiar with the matter said.
Mike Pompeo is the country with Esper for the two plus two dialogue, his first stop on a four-country tour to push the Trump administration’s anti-China message that will then take him to Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia. At all of his meetings, according to reports in the US, Pompeo is expected to generate support for countries to reject Chinese assertiveness.
Indian officials said the two sides also spoke about India’s military standoff with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army that has continued for 175 days and also led to bloodshed in June.
The officials said the NSA Doval, Pompeo and Esper widely discussed ways to deepen the relationship between the two countries and beyond to ensure a safe, stable and rules-based global and regional security environment, an indirect reference to China that has boosted to India, the United States and Japan. and Australia as part of QUAD, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
Also Read: India Should End Its Ostrich Approach To China, Work With US Analysis
US President Donald Trump has worked closely with India for the past four years from the beginning to deepen military ties between the two countries in an effort to isolate China. In February of this year, the two countries had closed defense agreements with 3 billion dollars.
Pompeo and Esper had started their visit to India with conversations with their counterparts. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who met with Pompeo last night, tweeted that relations between the emerging allies had “grown substantially across the board.” They agreed that the partnership between the United States and India is “fundamental to the security and prosperity of both countries, the Indo-Pacific region and the world,” according to a statement from the United States.
Pompeo and Esper sealed BECA (Basic Agreement for Exchange and Cooperation) in their “two plus two” talks with Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday morning that will allow the United States to share geospatial intelligence and give India access to sophisticated missiles. technology.
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