India-US 2+2 dialogue to focus on four themes to strengthen global strategic partnership

The upcoming 2+2 ministerial dialogue will lay down the next steps for the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, said the US State Department on Friday. This year the meet will focus on four themes that include- regional security cooperation, military-to-military interactions, defence information sharing and defence trade, the US official said while speaking at a press conference.

"Regional security cooperation is that we're working to enhance maritime security across the Indian Ocean region by coordinating security cooperation and building partner capacity with regional countries," one of the officials said.

The US has made significant progress towards concluding the last foundational defence enabling agreement, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, or the BECA, the official said while speaking about the second theme. BECA agreement will allow for expanded geospatial information sharing between our armed forces, the official said. 

"We are also seeking to expand secure communication capabilities between our respective militaries as well as between our foreign and defence ministries, and that too figures prominently on what we are trying to accomplish in the information-sharing space", the official said.

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According to the US State Department, both India and the US are working to build greater interoperability by increasing the sophistication of their combined exercises with respect to military-to-military engagement. Stressing on the defence trade, it further said the US is seeking to advance sales for several other defence platforms, to include fighter aircraft and UAVs.

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2+2 Ministerial dialogue

The announcement comes at the time when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper are scheduled to visit India next week for the ministerial-level talks. The two diplomats will have a packed schedule during their India visit as Pompeo and Esper will participate in third India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on October 27. They will also have bilateral meetings with their counterparts.
The two diplomates will also be meeting NSA Ajit Doval and will jointly call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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(With ANI Inputs)