- Sponsored -
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to meet their United States counterparts Michael R Pompeo and James Mattis for the inaugural US-India 2+2 Dialogue on September 6 in New Delhi. Here is the full agenda between the India, US 2+2 dialogue.
- Sponsored -
According to the official, “There are several key issues such as the US’ sanctions on the import of Iranian crude oil, boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and finalising a pact on encrypted defence technologies will be the focus of the inaugural high-level two-plus-two talks between India and the US in Delhi on Thursday.”
According to PTI, “India’s plan to ink an Rs 40,000 crore deal with Russia to procure a batch of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems may also figure in the talks, sources indicated today.”
There are other issues that will be discussed, including how to deal with terrorism and India’s concern over the Trump administration’s decision to make changes in the H1- B visa programme.
As Secretary Pompeo is likely to arrive in Delhi on September 5, from Islamabad, India will also try to get his view about the new government in Pakistan headed by newly appointed Prime Minister Imran Khan. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford will also be part of the US delegation.
According to the source, External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj will have a separate bilateral meeting with Mr Pompeo while Ms Sitharaman will have a one-on-one meeting with Mr Mattis on Thursday morning.
From each side, twelve officials are expected to attend the talks which will be followed by a luncheon meeting. In the afternoon, Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mike Pompeo and James Mattis will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources said the focus of the talks will be to lift the strategic engagement between the two countries to a ‘whole new level of government’s approach’ covering a wide range of areas for cooperation.
Also read: India to spend over $1 billion on two tallest statues
Significantly boosting defence and security cooperation, including in areas of co-development of military platforms, will be a priority, they said. Referring to India’s yet-to-be-inked S-400 missile deal with Russia, the sources said it was for the US to decide on what steps it may take.
On US sanctions on the import of Iranian oil, the sources said India will also explain to the US delegation its position on the issue, including how the import has been crucial for India’s energy security.
In May, the US withdrew from the landmark Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed the sanctions that had been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
As Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The US’ sanctions on the import of Iranian petroleum products will be effective from November 4.
India and the US will also attempt to firm up a long-negotiated agreement which will provide for obtaining critical and encrypted defence technologies by the Indian military from the US, official sources said.
Indian and US will discuss the long-pending Communications, Compatibility, Security Agreement (COMCASA). The COMCASA will also help India obtain critical and encrypted defence technologies for Indian defence platforms from the US.
According to the PTI, there are ways to bolster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and ways to deal with the challenge of terrorism will figure prominently in the talks.
Also read: Kolkata Majerhat overbridge collapse: PM Modi says collapse deeply unfortunate
- Sponsored -