2 + 2 talks: This will be the third edition of the 2 + 2 India-USA talks. USA (Archive)
New Delhi:
India will gain access to precision data and topographic images, in real time, from United States military satellites under an agreement to be signed during the ongoing visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
The agreement to share this data – BECA (Basic Agreement of Exchange and Cooperation) – is the third and final “fundamental” understanding that the United States has with close international partners. The two countries have already signed agreements to exchange military logistics and allow secure communications.
In a statement released Monday, the government said that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Esper expressed their satisfaction that the BECA would be signed during this visit and also because of the close commitments between the armed forces of the two countries.
They also reviewed bilateral defense encompassing military-to-military cooperation, secure communication systems and information exchange, and also discussed potential new areas of cooperation.
Rajnath Singh said the talks will add “new vigor” to the defense and cooperation relations between India and the United States.
Esper also welcomed Australia’s participation in next month’s Malabar exercise, a series of annual drills that began in 1992 to strengthen cooperation between the Indian and US naval forces.
India, with the US, Japan and Australia will conduct the high-level naval exercise Malabar next month. Australia is returning to these exercises for the first time since 2007, when its participation drew criticism from China.
Last week, the United States said it was closely watching the India-China clash in Ladakh and sharing information with Delhi. The United States said it wanted to make sure the situation did not get worse.
Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper are in India for the third edition of the 2 + 2 talks with their Indian counterparts: Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. These dialogues come days before the United States votes in the national elections, with President Donald Trump bidding for re-election.
Ahead of the talks, which are scheduled to begin Tuesday and will include discussions on regional security cooperation, military-to-military interaction and defense trade, the US State Department said it welcomed India’s emergence as a regional power and global leader.
The first 2 + 2 talks took place in Delhi in September 2018 and the second in Washington, DC in 2019.
.
