India, US committed to uphold territorial integrity & sovereignty of all nations: Rajnath Singh

India and US yesterday held the 3rd bilateral two plus two Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi and signed the landmark defence pact, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, BECA. The signing of BECA is significant as it allows India to use global geospatial maps of the United States for accuracy of stand-off weapons like cruise and ballistic missiles.

From the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar led the delegation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper led the US delegation. India and US signed five agreements in total.

The Defence Minister said both sides also agreed that upholding the rules based



international order, respecting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the international seas and upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states are essential. In the press statement after the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, signing of BECA is a significant achievement.

The Defence Minister said, India and US shared assessment of the security situation across the Indo Pacific. In his statement, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said, the Indo Pacific region was the particular focus of the talks.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US will stand with India as the country confronts threats to its sovereignty and liberty.