
India, US will hold two-plus-two talks on July 6 in Washington
After several scheduling issues, India and the US are slated to hold the first two-plus-two dialogue — between their foreign and defence ministers — in Washington on July 6, officials familiar with the plans said.
The dialogue announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Trump at the White House in August 2017 was tentatively scheduled for April 1819 this year.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman will travel to Washington to meet their counterparts, US secretary of State Mike Pompeo and defence secretary Jim Mattis, to discuss a host of bilateral issues as well as regional developments.
The dialogue announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Trump at the White House in August 2017 was tentatively scheduled for April 18-19 this year.
In March, both foreign sectary Vijay Gokhale and defence secretary Sanjay Mitra were in Washington to prepare ground for the dialogue against the background of the exit of then US secretary of state Rex Tillerson. “But the preparations for the two plus two dialogue were on and it was only because of the scheduling issues that the dialogue got postponed to July”, said one of the officials cited in the first instance. The two sides also looked for suitable dates in June but couldn’t come up with a mutually convenient date for hosting the dialogue, this person added, asking not to be identified.
“India’s global strategic partnership with the United States has overcome the hesitations of history and continues to deepen across the extraordinary breadth of our relationship. It has assumed new significance in the changing world”, Prime Minister Naredra Modi had said at the Shangri La dialogue in Singapore recently.
The first dialogue takes place after Prime Minister Modi’s successful informal summits with President Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
India is likely to discuss with the US, its concerns over the impact of US sanctions on deals with both Russia and Iran, an official said. The sanctions on Tehran are of concern to India as Iran remains India’s third largest source of oil. India has also made substantial investments in the Chabahar port in Iran which connects India to Central Asia via Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. The sanctions on Russia are set to hit India’s defence purchases and New Delhi has already request for an exemption.
A second official , said on condition of anonymity that cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism would be a key focus area in the meetings.
“In the Af-Pak (Afghanistan-Pakistan) region, we are on the same page. The US also agrees that Pakistan has to take more action against cross –border terrorism and rein in terrorist groups that operate from its soil and destablise the entire region,” added this person.
Another key issue for India is the proposed changes in the US visa regime that could affect tens of thousands of Indians.
Meanwhile, the US has been pushing India to sign two foundational agreements for what it terms as “additional and longlasting defence co-operation between the two countries.”
Tina Kaidanow, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs was in New Delhi recently and urged Indian officials for early signing of the pacts. The agreements are Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). India and the US had signed first foundational agreement: Logistical Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.
Strategic affairs expert C Uday Bhaskar said that the dialogue is taking place at a time when two sides are having a flux in their respective geopolitical outlook. “I think they should be resilient enough to understand this. Also for india, the dialogue happens at a time when us planning to impose sanctions on two of it’s key interlocuters, namely Russia and Iran,” he said.

Farm laws made for farmers or for Modi’s ‘kharabpati’ friends?: Priyanka Gandhi

Coast Guard seizes 3 Sri Lankan boats laden with drugs off Kerala coast
- Two hundred kg of cocaine and 60 kg of hashish were seized from the boats registered in Sri Lanka

Naidu values researchers for finding tech solutions for dealing with pandemic

Seer on fast for closure of all hydel power projects on Ganga writes to PM Modi
- Brahamchari Atmabodhanand of Haridwar's Matri Sadan ashram wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing his fast as ‘tapasya’, a fight against corruption and for preserving the environment.

Delhi Fire Services plan tech overhaul, reduce response time, improve efficiency

'Sex ratio better here': President Kovind praises gender equality among tribals
- The President was on a two-day visit to Madhya Pradesh. Sunday's 'Janjatiya Sammelan' where he delivered his speech was organised by the MP Tribal Welfare Department.

News updates from HT: Centre blames polls, public transport for Maha Covid spike

Beat up govt officials with sticks, says Giriraj in Bihar; CM Nitish reacts

Maharashtra Covid spike: Crowded public transport, polls to blame, says Centre

Sharad Pawar slams PM, says 'he has time for Kolkata, but not for farmers'

Odisha cabinet resolves 16 major decisions under Naveen Patnaik's chairmanship

‘Topic of emergency should be buried once and for all’, says Shiv Sena
- The Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana asked what was the need to revisit the same topic again and again when it has become obsolete.

India reaches 20 million mark, 1.5 million inoculated in a single-day
- India is behind only the United States and the United Kingdom in terms of the total number of people receiving vaccination, data from the health ministry shows.

Amit Shah confident of NDA victory in upcoming TN assembly polls

Budget session of Parliament likely to be cut short due to assembly polls
- Parliament officials said that the government managers as well as many opposition leaders have requested Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to cut short the session as leaders of many parties would be busy in the campaign for the polls.