INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
New Delhi: With the country involved in a six month military stand-off with China, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday told US that
India is "challenged by reckless aggression on our northern borders.""In the area of defense we are challenged by reckless aggression on our
northern borders," Singh said in his opening remarks during the two-plus-two dialogue with US, as per the transcript released by the US
Mark T Esper held two-plus-two dialogue.India and US on Tuesday signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial
Cooperation (BECA) which takes the military cooperation between the two countries to the next level
missiles and drone strikes
The signing of the agreement is also a strategic signal to China
As per the experts, BECA will also allow India to buy armed drones from US which will be fed with the data
by India and US is a significant achievement.He said during the meeting both sides shared assessment of the security situation across the
"In that process, we reaffirmed our commitment to peace, stability and prosperity of all countries in this region
We also agreed that upholding the rules based international order, respecting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the international
seas and upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states are essential," said Mr Singh
He said India and US defence cooperation is intended to further these objectives
the meeting today, we have had comprehensive discussions on key aspects of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation
We considered the major challenges we face," said Mr Singh.He said that liaison officer's at each other's establishments could be leveraged
cooperation activities in third countries, including our neighbourhood and beyond
We have convergence of views on a number of such proposals and will take those forward," said Mr Singh
Defence minister said that he welcome the acceptance of "our request for cooperation in the advanced field of maritime domain awareness."
Both sides agreed to comprehend the requirements and initiate processes for joint development of requisite systems and expertise, he
US and India have already signed three other foundation agreements which are General Security Of Military Information Agreement
(GSOMIA),Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).
