US Secretary of State and Defence secretary arrived in the national capital on 26 October 2020 for 2+2 ministerial dialogue with Defence Minister and with External Affairs Minister.
The 2+2 dialogue (also called the Quadrilateral dialogue) is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country. 2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.
India has held a number of talks at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level with Australia while dialogues with Japan and the US are held at the ministerial level. The first was held in New Delhi in September 2018.
The “Indo-Pacific” concept is gaining traction. On the maritime sphere, discussions will include strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region and also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
The U.S. wants India to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA), at the India-U.S. 2+2 ministerial dialogue. This agreement will enable bilateral collaboration between the two nations on mapping and geospatial information sharing, and is an overarching framework for implementing the earlier Cartographic Cooperation Agreement.
The US could promise to keep the pressure on Pakistan on terrorism, despite the US need for Pakistan’s assistance in Afghan-Taliban talks. But top of Washington’s wish-list is more cooperation from Islamabad in helping set up direct contacts between Kabul and the Taliban.
The US has made several attempts at resolving trade issues with India, including the administration’s most recent decision to revoke India’s Most Favoured Nation status. As the world’s largest democracy, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a key U.S. strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region, India, or more specifically, trade issues between the two countries are not exactly going away.
The two government could press for more cooperation on 5G technology sharing, or an assurance that its S-400 missile system purchase from Russia will receive an exemption from the U.S.’s Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
India’s obligation to share operational intelligence in real time.
India may come under further pressure on signing the fourth foundational security agreement which is Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Co-Operation (BECA), after already signing the other 3 security agreements.
The third edition of the two-plus-two dialogue between India and the US will bring together External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with their American counterparts - Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis on 6th September.
The dialogue will take place in New Delhi where attempts will be made to deal with four pressing issues - strengthening bilateral ties, defence modernisation, terrorism and outlining a plan for deepening co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Unlike the experiences of the past three years, however, it is not immediately apparent how much mileage India will get from this effort towards consolidating its position as a leading power in Asia.
