NSA Ajit Doval and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet on Friday, China and Regional Issues to be on Agenda

Defence Secretary of USA, Lloyd Austin will be visiting India from March 19-21, the first official visit by a high ranking member in US President Joe Biden administration to New Delhi. The Defence Secretary is scheduled to meet political and military leadership of India starting with the NSA on Friday itself.

Austin and Doval are likely to discuss China, and other important issues concerning regional security such as Afghanistan during the talks. “The American Defence Secretary and national security advisor Ajit Doval are likely to meet on Friday itself during which they are expected to set the stage for the visit by discussing all important security issues including China,” news agency ANI reprted quoting Government sources. The talks are expected to set the stage for defence and strategic ties between the two countries.

Ahead of US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit, the Indian ambassador to the United States TS Sandhu said, his trip, the first by a senior cabinet minister under Joe Biden’s presidency, points at the significance of the ties between the two countries. “This visit is a reflection of the importance which the US accords to India and the importance of our bilateral relationship,” he added.

There was considerable bonhomie and convergence of thoughts between PM Modi and President Biden if the visuals of recently concluded Quad Summit and subsequent Joint Statement are anything to go by. Coincidentally the Secretary’s visit has been scheduled within a week implying that issues discussed during Quad Summit could be further deliberated upon for execution in the near future. Austin will hold talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior government officials. He will “discuss deepening the US-India Major Defense Partnership and advancing cooperation between our countries for a free, prosperous, and open Indo-Pacific and Western Indian Ocean Region,” according to the defence department. Last Saturday, Austin said he was travelling to Asia to boost military cooperation with American allies and foster “credible deterrence” against China.

“Discussions regarding defence cooperation would also focus on how both countries could consolidate military-to-military cooperation and defence trade and industry cooperation,” Indian Defence Ministry sources were quoted as saying.