16 sij 5 lakh crore) today,’ Wells pointed out
US will discuss during 2
Since 2016, when India was officially recognised in US law as a ‘major defence partner’, Washington has purposefully upgraded the defence relationship.
Ajai Shukla reports.
IMAGE: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with US Defence canada goose outlet store near me Secretary Jim Mattis during the general’s visit to New Delhi last year. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo
canada goose uk shop Washington’s chief South Asia diplomat Alice Wells has for the first time outlined a clear agenda for the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi on September 6. canada goose uk shop
Previewing the meeting, for which two United States principals Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary for Defence General Jim Mattis will canada goose outlet seattle travel to India for joint talks with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Wells said: ‘What we are looking for at the upcoming 2+2 ministerial is to discuss how to operationalise India’s status as a major defence partner.”
buy canada goose jacket Since 2016, when India was officially recognised in US law as a ‘major defence partner’, Washington has purposefully upgraded the defence relationship. buy canada goose jacket
uk canada goose outlet Earlier this canada goose outlet orlando year, the Hawaii based, Asia focused US military command was renamed the ‘Indo Pacific Command’ to highlight India’s centrality to regional security. uk canada goose outlet
New Delhi sources also indicate that a crucial communications security agreement (COMCASA), which has been in negotiation for over a decade, could be signed shortly before or after the 2+2 meeting next month.
‘As you know, we’ve gone from canada goose outlet florida essentially zero dollars in defence cooperation in 2008 to as much canada goose outlet real as $18 billion (Rs 12.5 lakh crore) today,’ Wells pointed out.
‘We do more military exercises with India than with any other country in the world, but how do we take this partnership to a new level canada goose jacket outlet uk so that it’s not just going to be defence acquisition, but really a way of framing how we see challenges and how we are able to respond together to address these challenges,’ Wells said, outlining an agenda geared to ‘demonstrate the facts of this maturing partnership’.
Wells, who was briefing the media in Washington, DC on Monday, August 20, ahead of the annual Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, scheduled for next week, also talked up India’s role in Afghanistan.
canadian goose jacket Pointing to ‘India’s $3 canada goose outlet buffalo billion (Rs 20,700 crore) commitment to date up to 2020, in support of Afghanistan’s economic development,’ Wells said: ‘We welcome the fact that India has stepped up and has evinced this commitment and enjoys a strategic relationship canadagoosejacketonlines with Afghanistan that does not have to come at the expense of any other country in the region.’ canadian goose jacket
In contrast, Pakistan’s ‘critical role’ was mainly to ‘take stronger steps to ensure that the Taliban either comes to the negotiating table or is expelled back into Afghanistan, rather than enjoy safe haven outside the country’.
Referring to the new Imran Khan led government in Pakistan, Wells said, ‘We have expressed our concern over the fact that terrorist proxy groups continue to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan. We are urging for the government to do more and bring pressure to bear against these organisations and externally oriented terror groups.’
Wells also indicated canada goose coats uk that Washington would work to ease Islamabad’s roadblocks on trade between India and Afghanistan.
‘It’s easier for India to trade with Brazil than it is with some of its neighbouring countries. That doesn’t make sense,’ she said.
canada goose factory sale Underlining the US claim to being an Indo Pacific nation, Wells said: ‘The US conducts about $1.4 trillion (over Rs 96 lakh crore) in two way trade with the rest of the Indo Pacific region, more than any other country in the world, and has provided a cumulative $850 billion (over Rs 58 lakh crore) in foreign direct investment.’ canada goose factory sale
buy canada goose jacket cheap Wells characterised America’s economic goal in the region as ‘not about spending dollar for dollar, for instance, compared to (China’s) Belt and Road Initiative.’ buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose uk black friday Taking a potshot at the BRI, Wells said American companies would use their investment of over $850 billion in the region ‘to participate in projects that are of the highest international standards, that are efficient and cost competitive, and that bring returns to the countries that benefit from their participation’. canada goose uk black friday
canada goose black friday sale Wells was echoing India’s criticism of the BRI. canada goose black friday sale
On May 13, 2017, explaining why India had stayed away from the ongoing BRI Forum in Beijing, New Delhi, Modi had stated: ‘We are of the firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.’Suggesting there were infrastructure opportunities in the Indo Pacific region far beyond the BRI, Wells stated: ‘Some of the estimates are, like, $27 trillion in investment is going to be required over canada goose outlet the next several decades.’
Canada Goose Outlet While Wells echoed the long standing US position that the regional security architecture was centred on Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations), she stated that the US is ‘lending its expertise’ to the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, which the Indian Navy set up more than canada goose outlet london uk a decade ago as a framework for collective action on maritime security issues, ‘including disaster relief’ Canada Goose Outlet.