India, US sign MoU on Space Situational Awareness at 2+2 ministerial meeting

A pact to share information on space activities is signed by the US and India during the 2+2 meeting of their diplomatic and defence leaders in Washington on Monday, according to the State Department.The Space Situational Awareness Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to protect the satellites of the two countries.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joined a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for the Fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue that finally took place after being postponed in December 2021.It was kicked off ceremoniously on Monday at 9 a.m. (6.30 p.m. IST) with an honour cordon to welcome Rajnath Singh to the Pentagon for a meeting with Austin.At the same time over at the State Department, Blinken met Jaishankar, according to the schedule for the 2+2 circulated by the US.The 2+2 meeting took place under the cloud of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the divergent approach to it by India and the US.At a briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: "President Biden will continue our close consultations on the consequences of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine and mitigating its destabilizing impact on global food supply and commodity markets."The US, which is leading the global response to the invasion prefers India to take a stronger stand against Russia.But the 2+2 will focus on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where the two countries are strategically more aligned.The formal 2+2 meeting of the ministers and the secretaries was held at the State Department with the opening press statements that was live-streamed on www.state.gov at 2 p.m. on Monday (11.30 p.m. IST).It was followed by the signing of the Space Situational Awareness MOU.This year's event celebrates 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and the US, the State Department said.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.