India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue underway at Hyderabad House

The India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is underway at the Hyderabad House in the National Capital in which defence agreements notably BECA are likely to be signed, that will facilitate the sharing of high-end military technology, geospatial maps and classified satellite data between the militaries of both the countries.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper are attending the meet.

Later the two visiting Secretaries will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence. The US officials then will leave for Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.

Pompeo and Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday for 2+2 inter-ministerial talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

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.

On Monday, the two US secretaries held separate talks with Indian counterparts -- S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh.

Singh and 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.

The Indian Defence Ministry announced following the meeting between Esper and Singh that "the two Ministers expressed satisfaction that agreement of BECA will be signed during the visit."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also had a meeting on Monday wherein they agreed that US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is "critical to the security and prosperity" of both the countries, the Indo-Pacific region and the world.

Pompeo and Jaishankar discussed a wide range of issues during the meeting ranging from addressing the shared challenges of COVID-19 and responding to regional security issues, to collaborating on vaccine development and economic prosperity, according to the US State Department.

(ANI)

Also Read: Third US-India 2+2 dialogue holds significance as defence agreements would be signed: Jaishankar