Merely a week before the United States (US) presidential elections, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to visit India for the India-US 2+2 Dialogue on 26-27 October. Pompeo, along with American Defence Secretary Mark Esper, will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss and review bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
This will be the third time the two sides will convene for the 2+2 Dialogue. After US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the mechanism, the first meeting under the forum was conducted in September 2018 in New Delhi. The second took place in Washington in December 2019.
During the meeting scheduled for later this month, officials say that the two sides will conclude the “fourth and final foundational military pact,” called the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA). During Trump’s visit to India in February, the two premiers finalised their decision to expedite the conclusion of the agreement. Once signed, BECA is expected to smoothen the exchange of satellite and topographical data and information between the two countries.
Following his two-day visit to New Delhi, Pompeo is also set to visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Pompeo’s trip to the two South Asian countries is a part of the larger goal of the Quad to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit to Sri Lanka also comes as recently elected Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his decision to achieve a “China-style development model” for rural areas in Sri Lanka. These comments closely followed Rajapaksa’s meeting with Yang Jiechi, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party, during which the two sides discussed expediting the completion of the Hambantota Industrial Zone and development projects in Colombo. They also discussed finalising a Free Trade Agreement, which the two sides previously agreed to in 2013.
While China’s relationship with Sri Lanka flourishes, the future of the US’ partnership with the island country is unclear. For instance, the $480 million development assistance fund, which was set up through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), has been stalled following the two sides’ disagreement on the renewal of the 1995 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which called for visa-free access for American security and defence personnel into Sri Lanka. The deal was halted after Sri Lankan authorities faced significant pushback from the public and political opposition leaders against the SOFA.
As Pompeo gears up for a difficult conversation with Colombo on the MCC and SOFA issues, a Sri Lankan media house quoted a senior official saying “The Gunaruwan Committee appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksha has gone into the MCC compact and has suggested that it be negotiated to make it compatible with Sri Lankan constitution and law. It remains to be seen if the Americans agree. As for SOFA, it cannot be on the agenda now because we would like to take up issues one by one.”
On the other hand, Pompeo’s visit to the Maldives will definitely be less complicated due to their positive relations. The two countries recently signed a “Framework for a Defence and Security Relationship” which US Department of Defence said would “deepen engagement and cooperation in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean.” Further, Mariya Didi, the Defence Minister for the Maldives, said that the deal would “add immense value to the excellent US-Maldives partnership defined by shared principles & interests in peace & security of the Indo-Pacific & IOR amid rising threats like piracy & terrorism.”
Pompeo to Visit India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives in Run-Up to Presidential Election
During his visit to India, Pompeo, along with US Defence Secretary Mark Esper, will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
October 20, 2020
SOURCE: USA TODAY