India, US may talk LAC at 2+2 meeting
Top American diplomat says US ‘closely watching’ the border standoff between India, China
The military standoff in the Ladakh sector between India and China is set to be on the agenda of the India-us 2+2 ministerial dialogue to be held in New Delhi next week, a top American diplomat said. The two sides are also finalising their discussions on several agreements, including the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, ahead of the meeting between the defence and foreign ministers of the two sides, principal deputy assistant secretary for South Asian affairs Dean Thompson said at a briefing early on Friday. “Certainly, I think the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will... probably be discussed at some point, and we’re watching the situation closely,” Thompson said.
NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: The military standoff in the Ladakh sector between India and China is set to be on the agenda of the India-us 2+2 ministerial dialogue to be held in New Delhi next week, a top American diplomat said.
The two sides are also finalising their discussions on several agreements, including the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), ahead of the meeting between the defence and foreign ministers of the two sides, principal deputy assistant secretary for South Asian affairs Dean Thompson said at a briefing early on Friday.
“Certainly, I think the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will... probably be discussed at some point, and we’re watching the situation closely. I think both sides have expressed a desire to de-escalate violence,” Thompson said during the briefing that he addressed along with assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs David Stilwell.
Asked whether BECA, which will facilitate sharing of classified satellite and sensor data, and other agreements will be signed during the 2+2 meeting on October 27, Thompson replied: “We’re in the process of finalising a lot of the discussions right now, and so I know that BECA and other agreements are in the works.
“I’m not going to, I think, commit to anything right this minute, but we do expect to have several items highlighted as we go through the trip.”
It is widely expected that BECA, described as one of four foundational agreements for sharing of sensitive information and logistics and sales of advanced military hardware, will be signed during the 2+ 2 meeting.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh will meet their American counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper for the third edition of the dialogue that will consolidate diplomatic and security ties, including institutionalised intelligence-sharing and efforts to ensure a free and open Indo-pacific.
Thompson said: “The 2+2 format is reserved for our closest friends and partners and reflects our belief that the US and India are stronger, more secure and more prosperous when we work together. The 2+2 discussions will focus on global cooperation, on pandemic response, and challenges in the Indo-pacific, economic, space and energy collaboration, people-to-people ties, and defence and security cooperation.” In all his meetings in New Delhi, Pompeo will look for “opportunities to expand the Us-india partnership in support of our mutual interests during these challenging times”, Thompson added.
Pompeo and Esper will also meet national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The India-china standoff in Ladakh sector has entered its sixth month and tens of thousands of troops are now set to remain deployed along the LAC through the harsh winter.