US administration devises agenda for inaugural 2 + 2 dialogue with New Delhi

The inaugural 2 + 2 dialogue between India and the United States has now picked up the pace as the chief South Asia diplomat of US, Alice Wells outlined a clear agenda for the meeting for the first time.

The meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis and their counterparts Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had been postponed multiple times in past. US officials will now be travelling to New Delhi on September 6 for this meeting.

US diplomat Wells said in a statement: "What we're looking for at the upcoming 2+2 ministerial is to discuss how to operationalise India's status as a major defence partner."

The United States has intentionally upgraded the defence association with India since 2016 after it recognised India as a "major defence partner". There has been a major shift in India's foreign policy since PM Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014.

India-US defence cooperation has seen an exponential rise with the sale of a number of defence equipment including Hercules-CJ130 aircraft and sale of Apache attack helicopter.

The US is looking for partners in the Indian Ocean region to counter China and in the same direction, it has formed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue also known as the Quad. It is an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

Earlier this year, US military had renamed the Asia-focused US military command based out of Hawaii as the "Indo-Pacific Command" to highlight India's centrality to regional security, reports Business Standard.

It also amended the National Defence Authorization Act 2018 to exempt India from facing US sanctions against defence sales deal to Russia. The Trump administration, to facilitate sensitive high technology trade, has also granted India "Strategic Trade Authorization-1" status.

Business Standard reported that the crucial communications security agreement (COMCASA) which has been witnessing delays over a decade could also be signed during this meeting.

US diplomat Wells, while briefing the media in Washington ahead of the annual Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam also praised India's role in Afghanistan's economic development.

India has given $ 3 billion commitment to date up to 2020 to Afghanistan that is marred with terrorism. She said: "We welcome the fact that India has stepped up and has evinced this commitment and enjoys a strategic relationship with Afghanistan that does not have to come at the expense of any other country in the region."