India and the United States on Tuesday signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), paving the way for the sharing of sensitive information and the sales of advanced military hardware from the United States to India.

With the signing of the BECA, India is all set to get access to advanced satellite imagery and topographical and aeronautical digital data in real time from the United States, further enhancing the accuracy of its missiles and armed drones, while facilitating the long range navigation of military aircraft.

The agreement was signed between India's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

"Over the last two decades, our bilateral relationship has grown steadily," India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in his opening remarks. "The accompanying comfort levels today enable us to engage much more intensively on matters of national security."

He noted that at a time when it is particularly important to uphold a rules-based international order, the ability of India and the United States to work closely in defense and foreign policy has a larger resonance.

"Together, we can make a real difference when it comes to regional and global challenges," he said.

This is the third such ministerial dialogue between the two sides. The first two 2+2 ministerial dialogues were held in New Delhi in September 2018, and in Washington in 2019.

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