US, India Finalizing Military Data Sharing Pact Ahead of Pompeo Visit - State Dept

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2020) The United States and India are finalizing a military agreement that calls for exchanging geospatial information ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to New Delhi next week, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson told reporters on Thursday.

Pompeo will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and engage in the third annual US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Indian counterparts to discuss the US-India bilateral trade and mutual areas of interest.

"We're in the process of finalizing a lot of the discussions right now.

I know that and other agreements are in the works," Thompson said when asked about the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).

The Times of India is reporting that the two nations are also expected to sign the Maritime Information Sharing Technical Arrangement (MISTA) during the meetings.

Thompson noted that nothing has been finalized and that he could not commit to anything immediately.

The US' top diplomat will also meet with officials from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia as part of an Indo-Pacific swing between October 25-30.