The U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said on Tuesday that India would be able to get “huge benefits” by signing the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for geo-spatial cooperation (BECA) agreements with the U.S.
Addressing the media on the eve of the Aero India 2011, the international air show that begins in Bangalore on Wednesday, Mr. Roemer said, “It is up to the Indian Government to decide the time for signing the defence foundational agreements.”
Mr. Roemer said the U.S. Government entered into these agreements “only with our closest allies, particularly the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.” Signing these agreements would allow India to access even more sophisticated defence technologies, he said.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said the U.S. Government had already initiated “the first steps” in changing export control policies that were applicable to India. Mr. Locke said his current visit to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai were part of a business development mission that was “a follow-up” to President Obama's visit to India in November 2010.
Twenty-four U.S. companies are participating in Aero India 2011.
