Here’s what Rajnath Singh said after meeting US Defence Secretary

In the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Monday inspected the Tri-Services Guard of Honour. Austin, who will be in India for two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Washington, made a notable arrival on Sunday.

According to the information, the talks were held between both counterparts, which were focused on various key aspects of India-US defence ties and the regional security scenario, including the Indo-Pacific.

Taking it to Twitter, Union Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “Delighted to meet my friend, @SecDef Austin in New Delhi. Our talks revolved around enhancing defence cooperation in several areas including convergence of strategic interests and enhanced security cooperation.”

Secretary Austin also accorded a guard of honour ahead of the talks at the Manekshaw Centre. Taking it to Twitter, “I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defence Partnership. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The sources claim that Rajnath Singh and Austin will likely discuss, among other things, New Delhi’s plan to purchase 30 MQ-9B armed drones from US defence giant General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc for more than USD 3 billion. They will also probably discuss a General Electric proposal to share fighter jet engine technology with India.

The Pentagon, while elaborating on the details of the Defence Secretary’s visit, said, “After Singapore, Secretary Austin will visit New Delhi to meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders as the United States and India continue to modernise the Us-India Major Defence Partnership.”

Notably, it is Austin’s second visit to India and the visit of the US counterpart is significant ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming state visit to the White House in the second last week of June, this year.