Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discusses situation in Afghanistan with US counterpart
Ahead of PM Modi's visit to the US, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a conversation with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on Monday.
In Short
- Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart last met in March
- Raksha Mantri and Austin also spoke about terrorism: MoD
- PM Modi is slated to visit the US for the first Quad leaders' summit
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin held a telephonic conversation on Monday. The two discussed the situation in Afghanistan among other key issues ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US for the first Quad leaders' summit.
"Both the leaders [Rajnath Singh and Lloyd Austin] discussed bilateral and regional matters including developments in Afghanistan," the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement. Both countries even reiterated their commitment to working closely together in the defence sector.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also exchanged views about combating terrorism in the region.
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"Both sides appreciated the mutual cooperation in the recent evacuation operations in Afghanistan and agreed to remain in regular contact in view of the evolving situation," the statement issued by MoD said.
The two last met during US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin's visit to New Delhi in March of this year.
Addressing the Indo-US Economic Summit organised by Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) on September 15, Rajnath Singh had said that there is no doubt that Indo-US cooperation will go a long way to restore normalcy and further boost economic dynamism in a post-Covid world.
"Economic and technological cooperation between India and the United States became stronger in the post-Cold War era, much stronger during the global war against terrorism and still more robust alongside Indo-US strategic partnership," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said.
In October of last year, India and the US laid the foundation for deep military cooperation between the two countries by signing the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). This was preceded by the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).