US continue to support India's permanent membership of UNSC: Pompeo

Speaking at the third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US values India as a multi-lateral partner. He also reiterated that India and the US are taking all steps to strengthen cooperation against all threats, reports senior correspondent Chandrakala Choudhury.

New Delhi:US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said that the US values India as a multi-lateral partner, whether it's through the quad, making Afghan peace negotiation successful or working together during India's upcoming term on UN security council, 'we continue to support India's permanent membership of UNSC'.

“U.S and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Last year, we have expanded our cooperation on cyber issues, our natives have held joint exercises in the Indian Ocean”, said Pompeo while delivering a joint statement alongside Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper and EAM Jaishankar.

Our leaders and citizens see with increasing clarity that the Chinese Communist Party is no friend to democracy, rule of law, transparency. I am glad to say India and the US are taking all steps to strengthen cooperation against all threats and not just those posed by CCP, Pompeo reiterated.

Recalling the sacrifices made by the Indian armed forces personnel, Pompeo said, “We visited National War Memorial to honour brave men & women of Indian armed forces who sacrificed for the world's largest democracy, including 20 killed by PLA in Galwan Valley. “The US will stand with India as they confront threats to their sovereignty, liberty”, Pompeo reiterated.

The US officials visited India to strengthen their strategic and security ties in the face of growing Chinese aggression across the Indo-Pacific region. The two-day visit comes at a time when India is engaged in a bitter border row with China. The leaders on Tuesday attended the third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogues along with EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Analysts say that the Indo-US relation has become more institutionalized and the 2+2 talks are the reflection of the great institutionalization of the relationship between the two countries.

“The 2+2 India US dialogue at such a crucial time underscores the commitment of two sides to take the relationship forward as well as a certain sense of normalcy that has set in the relationship, ahead of the U.S election. It shows that both the countries are comfortable with each other and India has moved beyond the question of ‘electoral cycle’. It doesn’t matter if Biden comes to power or Trump wins in the US election. This is one issue on which there is great convergence between two different presidential candidates, in that sense, there is a new normal for Indo-US relation which has become more institutionalized”, Harsh. V. Pant, Director, Studies and Head of Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation told ETV Bharat.

He said that the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is the last of the foundation agreement signed and with this, it rounds off the larger landscape of India’s foundational defence relationship with the U.S.

“BECA is going to be very critical in terms of India getting sensitive geospatial data and sharing with the US. In the contemporary conflict, BECA is the most important and key variable. This shows how expansive the relation has become and the contours of the relationship are changing with a greater degree of confidence between the two sides”, he added.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said that the Indo Pacific region was the particular focus of the talks.

“We reiterated the importance of stability and peace and prosperity for all countries in this region. Discussions also covered developments in our neighbouring countries. We made clear that cross border terrorism is completely unacceptable”, Jaishankar added during the same press briefing.

Apart from regional issues, the External Affairs Minister noted that the talks included development in neighbouring countries. Jaishankar said that when India will acquire the status of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it is looking forward to working with the United States and touted the ‘remarkable growth’ in the bilateral relations between both the nations while hailing the expansion in cooperation.

Moreover, four crucial agreements were signed between the two countries which include: BECA, MoU for technical cooperation on earth sciences, Arrangement extending nuclear cooperation, Agreement on postal services, Agreement on cooperation in Ayurveda and Cancer research.

According to reports, as part of an intensifying pushback against China's growing economic and military power in the region, Pompeo will also travel to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, two Indian Ocean countries struggling with a mountain of Chinese debt incurred to finance big infrastructure projects.

It is pertinent to note that Pompeo will conclude his trip, which comes in the final week before the U.S. presidential election, in Indonesia, which is also locked in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

The first two 2+2 Ministerial dialogues had been held in New Delhi in September 2018 and Washington DC in 2019.

India and the US have been making efforts to bolster the allies against an increasingly assertive China, which has been making political and military inroads across Asia.