India and the US are likely to hold the third 2+2 Minister level talks here in late October. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper will discuss the entire range of strategic issues including the current stand-off at the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in Eastern Ladakh with their Indian counterparts S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh.
The in-person meeting, likely to take place on October 26-27, comes at a time when the entire world is battling the coronavirus pandemic and India engaged in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation with China for the past five months at the LAC.
The first two rounds were held in New Delhi and Washington in 2018 and 2019 respectively. This ministerial level engagement was approved during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dialogue with President Donald Trump in 2018.
The two sides will discuss the bilateral defence and strategic ties besides the current situation on the LAC, terrorism and evolving scenario in Afghanistan after the peace deal with the Taliban during the forthcoming parleys, sources said here on Friday.
Pompeo and Esper are expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser(NSA) Ajit Doval on the sidelines of the ministerial dialogue. Both sides are also likely to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geo-spatial cooperation after they agreed to expedite the work of the deal earlier this year.
The signing of BECA could be a significant landmark in US-India strategic cooperation as it allows India to use global geospatial maps of the US for accuracy of stand-off weapons like cruise and ballistic missiles.
The foundational agreements like General Security of Military Information Agreement, Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, and Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement have already been activated, with both using each other’s designated military facilities for refuelling and replenishment.
Incidentally, Jaishankar and Pompeo held bilateral talks on the sideline of Quad meeting in Tokyo earlier this week on Tuesday. During the conclave attended by India, US, Australia and Japan foreign ministers, Pompeo openly criticized China for coronavirus pandemic.
He said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had made the crisis “infinitely worse” as a result of its “cover-up” and accused the “authoritarian” regime of locking up those who raised the alarm.
With the armies of India and China locked in a stand-off at the LAC, Jaishankar had said in his address at the Quad, New Delhi is committed to peaceful resolution of disputes, rules based world order and respect for territorial integrity.
Making these opening remarks at the meeting, he also said the four democratic countries favour a free and open India-Pacific region. The Quad meeting comes at a time when China is aggressively asserting itself in this region leading to tension. Jaishankar, however, refrained from naming China.
The Quad meeting discussed the issue of ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour across the region. Addressing the conclave, Jaishankar said the events of this year have demonstrated how “imperative it is for like-minded countries to coordinate responses to the various challenges that the pandemic has brought to the fore”.
On the situation in the strategically important India-Pacific region, he said “as vibrant and pluralistic democracies with shared values, our nations have collectively affirmed the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
“We remain committed to upholding the rules-based international order, underpinned by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes,” he added.
Spelling out India’s stand, he said it was for advancing the security and economic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in the region. “It is a matter of satisfaction that the Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance,” he said.
Incidentally, Australia is keen to join the yearly Malabar series of maritime exercise between India, US and Japan in November end. However, a decision is yet to be taken. Moreover, China is resisting such a proposal of all the four countries of Quad holding a military exercise.
Among other key points, Jaishankar also underlined the need for “seeking collective solutions to global challenges, including global recovery from the pandemic and reform of multilateral institutions”.
Highlighting the growing importance of this coalition, he also said the fact that the four foreign ministers were meeting in person, despite the global pandemic, is “testimony to the importance that these consultations have gained, particularly in recent times”. He added, “Our world is significantly different today than what it was when we last met in New York in September 2019.”
During their bilateral meeting the Quad, India and US reaffirmed their commitment to work together for peace and stability in the India-Pacific region.
On his parleys with Pompeo, Jaishankar said “Pleased to see the progress of our partnership in so many fields. Will work together for stability and prosperity in the Indo- Pacific.” It was learnt that Jaishankar and Pompeo also deliberated on overall ties including evolving security scenario around India.
The US Secretary of State said he had productive meeting with Jaishankar adding together “we are advancing US-India relations, combating COVID-19 and ensuring a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific for all.”