New Delhi: The third India-US 2+2 dialogue is likely to take place on October 26-27 between foreign ministers and defence ministers of two countries. An official announcement is yet to be made in this regard.
The two nations are reportedly ready to ink Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geo-spatial cooperation. BECA is an important precursor to India acquiring armed drones such as the MQ-9B from the US as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses spatial data for pinpointed strikes on enemy targets, reports a leading daily.
The high powered dialogue between India and the United States is going to take place in the backdrop of ongoing border tensions between India and China. New Delhi and Beijing have held seven rounds of military talks and multiple rounds of diplomatic level talks which have remained inconclusive.
A key focus of 2+2 dialogue will be peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. High-level strategic defence cooperation, trade, connectivity, improvement of supply chains structure, counter-terrorism and dialogue on the regional issue including Doha peace talks vis a vis Afghanistan may also come on the table.
The two countries may also exchange notes on cooperation in COVID-19 response and related vaccine and strengthening of partnership at the United Nations where India will assume office as a non-permanent member at the United Nations Security Council.
Preparations for 2+2 dialogue are underway. Foreign Minister Jaishankar met his US counterpart Pompeo at the quad meet in Tokyo recently.
