BackIndia-US ties can help deal with global, regional challenges: Jaishankar
At a time when it is particularly important to uphold a rules-based international order, the ability of India and the US to work closely in defence and foreign policy has a larger resonance, the minister said
PremiumNEW DELHI: India-US partnership can make a difference in dealing with global and regional challenges at a time when the rules based world order needs to be upheld, Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks at the third India-US 2+2 talks, Jaishankar noted that the world was more uncertain, with “much greater stresses and sharper faultlines.“
“For most countries, that means giving security a greater salience in their foreign policy. As major powers, this is even more so in our case," he said.
At a time when it is particularly important to uphold a rules-based international order, the ability of India and the US to work closely in defence and foreign policy has a larger resonance, the minister said.
“Together, we can make a real difference when it comes to regional and global challenges, whether it is in respecting territorial integrity, promoting maritime domain awareness, countering terrorism or ensuring prosperity,"
The 2+2 talks on Tuesday are seen as the last major engagement in Washington’s diplomatic calendar before the US presidential election on 3 November.
US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and secretary of defence Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday. Soon after their separate arrivals, they went into bilateral discussions with their counterparts—foreign minister S. Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh.
The centrepiece of the visit is expected to be the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (Beca). The pact represents a deepening of military ties, a testament to the rapid warming of bilateral relations in a span of two decades. The agreement is expected to give India access to crucial information that will have implications in any potential military conflict, said analysts. These include access to a range of topographical, nautical and aeronautical data considered key to map hostile movements and precise and real-time information on enemy positions accessed from US military satellites during any potential border conflict.
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
