Rajnath Singh speaks to US Defence Secretary Austin; discusses regional and world points

Image Source : FILE/PTI Rajnath Singh speaks to US Defence Secretary Austin; discusses regional and world points
In the primary high-level engagement between the Modi authorities and the Joe Biden administration, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday and exchanged views on urgent regional and world points together with developments within the Indo-Pacific.
The defence ministry mentioned Singh obtained an “introductory telephone call” from the newly-appointed US Secretary of Defence Austin and that the 2 leaders reaffirmed their dedication to work collectively to strengthen the “multifaceted” defence cooperation and the strategic partnership between the 2 nations.
Official sources mentioned China figured within the talks within the bigger context of geo-political developments, and in relations to the strategic pursuits of India and the US within the Indo-Pacific area.
The essence of the dialog was that either side wished to keep up the upward trajectory of the strategic and defence ties to advance their frequent agenda of peace, prosperity and progress, the sources mentioned.
In a tweet, Singh mentioned the agency dedication to deepen India-US defence cooperation was reiterated through the talks.
“Spoke with my US counterpart, Secretary Def Austin and conveyed my warm wishes on his appointment,” Singh tweeted.
“We reiterated our agency dedication to deepen India-US defence cooperation.

We exchanged views on regional and world problems with mutual curiosity to strengthen our strategic partnership,” he mentioned.
It is just not instantly identified whether or not the jap Ladakh standoff between India and China was mentioned within the talks.
Three days again, Austin spoke to his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi throughout which China’s rising actions in East China Sea figured prominently.
The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the previous few years and in June 2016, the US had designated India a “Major Defence Partner”.
The two nations have additionally inked key defence and safety pacts over the previous few years, together with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that enables their militaries use one another’s bases for restore and replenishment of provides in addition to offers for deeper cooperation.
The two sides have additionally signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 that gives for interoperability between the 2 militaries and offers on the market of excessive finish expertise from the US to India.
In October final yr, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) settlement to additional enhance bilateral defence ties. The pact offers for sharing of high-end navy expertise, logistics and geospatial maps between the 2 nations.
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