Chinese aggression in Ladakh and in the South China Sea and, Pakistan’s unending support to terror outfits will figure in the talks during the third round of 2+2 ministerial dialogue between India and the US.
“India is in the process of working out a mutually convenient date for the key India-US 2+2 meet later this year,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
“The 2+2 ministerial meeting is scheduled later this year. We are in the process of working out mutually convenient dates,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during the weekly media briefing on Thursday. India is, according to sources, trying to have the two plus two dialogue with the US on 26-27 October given the urgency to deal with the Dragon. However, a final confirmation is yet to come from Washington for the same.
But the agenda is ready, with India and US having decided to discuss at length on China’s misdeeds and Pakistan’s policy of promoting terror.
Foreign and defence ministers of both the sides will be discussing other key issues of strategic and security importance, sources said. Sources told The Daily Guardian that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have already prepared the agenda of discussion that include Chinese aggressive postures and cross-border terrorism being promoted and supported by Pakistan.
Sources said that Jaishankar and Pompeo met in Tokyo on the sidelines of Quad security dialogue on 6 October and shared their inputs on these issues. Now, the issues related to both China and Pakistan will be discussed in great detail during the two plus two dialogue.
In addition to this, India and the US will be signing Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geo-spatial cooperation. Sources said that this agreement will pave the way for India acquiring armed drones from Washington.
Sources said that the US had lambasted China on the basis of inputs provided by Jaishankar in Tokyo during the Quad meet. Similarly, Pompeo has dropped a clear hint that the US might come heavily down on Pakistan if it does not stop supporting and financing terrorism in Kashmir. “Pakistan will be taught a befitting lesson in FATF where it is trying to get off the grey list despite financing terrorism,” said an official quoting a US State Department officer.
Sources said that Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be discussing the global security environment with their counterparts from the US, during which China and Pakistan will figure in the talks. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper will be holding a discussion with Rajnath Singh during the two plus two dialogue. “What is important is that Indian and US ministers will be sharing their assessment of the issues related to China and Pakistan,” sources said. US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Beigun is also coming to India ahead of two plus two dialogue.
According to sources, India has given enough evidence about how Pakistan state actors continue to support terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. Both the terror groups continue to target innocent civilians and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
India will share useful details with the US ministers about how despite terror financing Pakistan is trying to come off the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).