It will be Blinken's first visit to India after assuming charge as the US Secretary of State and the third by a high-ranking Biden administration official after it came to power in January. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India in March while US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry travelled to New Delhi in April. Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson said on Friday that the discussions will focus on expanding ties in areas of security, defence, cyber, and counterterrorism cooperation. The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. In October last year, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) to further boost bilateral defence ties.

Source: Mint July 26, 2021 14:15 UTC