Defence deal likely before PM’s US visit

WASHINGTON: India and the US hope to conclude a defence agreement giving their militaries reciprocal access to their facilities round the world before Prime Minister

WASHINGTON: India and the US hope to conclude a defence agreement giving their militaries reciprocal access to their facilities round the world before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June visit.

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Nisha Biswal, a senior US state department official, told American lawmakers at a senate hearing Tuesday, “We are hopeful that progress will be made on some of the foundational agreements, including the logistics agreement, that might be concluded prior to the visit.” She added, “We are looking to see if there are things we can take on board (for the visit).”

Modi starts a two-day US visit on June 7. He will meet President Barack Obama and address a joint meeting of congress as part of an unprecedented engagement with lawmakers.

The two countries announced an “in principle” decision to sign the pact, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, during defense secretary Ash Carter’s India visit in April.

When signed, this agreement, one of four so-called foundational agreements, will give Indian and US militaries logistical access to their facilities around the world on a reciprocal basis.

This would be the second foundational agreement signed by India and the United States after the General Security of Military Information Agreement, signed in 2002. The remaining two are Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Intelligence.