India and the United States signed an accord on secure military communications that both sides hailed as a breakthrough on Thursday, possibly opening the way for sales of sensitive US military equipment to India.
The pact was signed after US Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for talks aimed at deepening political and security ties.
Both the Indian ministers resolved to continue meetings in this format on an annual basis, said a joint Indo-US statement released after the bilateral dialogue.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (L), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2L), Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj (2R) and Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (R) present statements to the media following a meeting in New Delhi, September 6, 2018. /VCG Photo
"The momentum in our defense partnership has imbued a tremendous positive energy that has elevated India-US relations to unprecedented heights," Sitharaman said.
Recognizing that the two countries are strategic partners in world affairs, the Indian ministers agreed to work together with the US side on regional and global issues, including in bilateral, trilateral, and quadrilateral formats.
According to the joint statement, the two sides decided to establish secure communication between India's external affairs minister and the US secretary of state, and between India's defense minister and the US defense secretary to help maintain regular high-level communication on emerging developments.
Two sides also agreed to open a hotline between their foreign heads and hold joint exercises involving the air force, navy and the army off the eastern Indian coast in 2019, the Indian government said.