Indo- US ‘ 2+2’ Dialogue Third meet

With the growing influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region, India and the US are cautious of enhancing peace and stability across the region by elevating strategic consultations. The recent 2+2 dialogue is one such formal mechanism. From mains point of view, one should know the strategic partnership agreements between India and the US and their importance.

Content:

In news:

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the third edition of the 2+2 talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper.
• India and the US inked Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
• The two countries agreed to work together to confront the threat China posed to security and freedom.
• They sealed an MoU on Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences.
• An agreement to extend the duration of the MoU regarding the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership was signed.
• The two sides signed an agreement on electronic exchange of customs data and a letter of intent regarding cooperation in traditional Indian medicines.
• The two sides also decided to expand joint capacity building activities with partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region. 

What is 2+ 2 Dialogue ?

• It is the highest-level institutional mechanism between the two countries.
• It is a format of dialogue where the defence/foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.
• India holds such talks with Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level but with Japan and the US at the ministerial level.
• The 1st 2+2 meeting with the US was held at New Delhi in 2018 and the second 2+2 meeting was held at Washington in 2019.

Importance of BECA:

• BECA enables exchange of geo-spatial information, enhancing the operational efficiency of the U.S. platforms currently being operated by India.
• It is the final of the three basic agreements that the US signs with close partners, enabling interoperability of forces and exchange of sensitive and classified information.

• Data received under the agreement will be useful for long-range navigation and missile-targeting with enhanced accuracy.
• Items that can be exchanged include maps, nautical and aeronautical charts, commercial and other unclassified imagery, geodetic, geophysical, geomagnetic and gravity data.
• This could be in digital or printed format. 
• While most of the information to be shared will be in the unclassified category to bring about standardisation, BECA includes the provision of sharing classified information as well, with safeguards in place to ensure that it is not shared with any third party.
• The cooperation also includes sharing of high-end satellite images, telephone intercepts, and data exchange on Chinese troops and weapons deployment along the Line of Actual Control.