On Tuesday, India and the US held a high-level meeting of the third phase of the two-plus-two dialogue at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. In which several important agreements were agreed between the two countries, including the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The meeting was attended by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar from the Indian side, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Minister Mark Esper, was present at the meeting along with the top military and security officials. In this agreement, both countries signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which would allow the sharing of satellite’s confidential data, state-of-the-art military technology, and vital information between the armies. Besides, the two countries shared their views on the security and strategic cooperation of the Hind-Pacific ocean reason.
America ready to walk step by step with India
After the meeting, US Defense Minister Esper said that “The defense agreement between the two countries is based on our values and interests. Keeping in mind China’s growing aggression and destabilizing practices, we should have an open and independent Indo-Pacific region for all of us and We stand firmly together. The United States and India stand to deal with all kinds of threats, not just those generated by the SCCP. Our bilateral defense cooperation continues to grow.”
Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh seen escaping on China issue
Addressing the media event jointly with Jaishankar, Pompeo, and Esper, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated that “both sides discussed extensively on several issues. At the military level, full cooperation with the US is progressing well and defense equipment is moving forward. We have marked many projects for joint development and are very much committed to peace and security in the Indian Pacific Ocean.”
Rajnath Singh, while sharing the important agreement between the two countries, said that these agreements include the appointment of American Indian Liaison Officer, cosmetics account, and increasing military practice between the two countries.
India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that “There has been a great increase in the national security coordination between India and the US. The Pacific-Hind was the center of discussion between our talks. Terrorism on the border between us, Afghanistan, the sovereignty of every country, and issues like respecting boundaries have also been talked about.”
Joint diplomacy with china
China was the center of discussion even before the talks and according to estimates, there was a clear and common view with China between the two countries. After the meeting, a joint statement was issued in which the two countries resolved to increase cooperation with each other.
The US Secretary of State said that the Communist Party of China is not friendly about democracy, the ambiguity between each other, legal rules, and freedom of navigation, which is the basis of an independent and open indo-pacific region.
The official Twitter of Mike Pompeo reveals that he went to the National War Memorial where he paid tribute to the 20 Indian military personnel killed by China’s PLA in the Galvan Valley. Referring to this in his statement, he said that during the visit, he also went to the Summer Memorial to pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed in honor of the world’s largest democracy.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, however, refrained from making any statement on China’s case.
(Two to two ministers from both sides participate in the ‘Two-Plus-Two’ agreement between the US and India. The first two-plus-two dialogue was announced in 2017 when Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump met for the first time. This was followed by the first two-plus-two dialogue between the two countries in September 2018. The second dialogue was held in December 2019. This dialogue is the third two-plus-two dialogue between India and the US. The Basic Exchange and Corporation Agreement ie. BECA is one of the agreements between America and India.)
