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India and the United States held 2+2 talks on Tuesday, with State Secretary Mike Pompeo & Secretary of Defence Mark Esper of the US, holding an extensive discussion with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
“We visited National War Memorial to honour brave men and women of Indian armed forces who sacrificed for the world's largest democracy, including 20 killed by PLA in Galwan Valley. US will stand with India as they confront threats to their sovereignty and liberty,” Pompeo said after the dialogue.
US and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by Chinese Communist Party. Last year, we've expanded our cooperation on cyber issues, our navies have held joint exercises in Indian ocean, he said.
Secretary of Defence, Mark Esper also criticized the Chinese aggression and said, “Based on our shared values and common interests, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in suport of a free and open Indo-Pacific for all, particularly in light of increasing aggression and destabilising activities by China.”
As the world confronts a global pandemic and growing security challenges, the India-US partnership is more important than ever to ensure security, stability and prosperity of the region and the world, Esper said.
India , US sign landmark BECA pact
India and the United States have signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). Defence ministry’s Additional Secretary Jivesh Nandan signed the agreement on behalf of India.
BECA is the last of four foundational agreements for strengthening defence ties, allowing the militaries of the two countries to share geospatial information, high-end military technology and classified satellite data on defence-related issues.