Samant Goel, who heads India’s Research and Analysis Wing, India’s overseas intelligence agency, took part in a secret meeting in Singapore on the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting, according to the news agency Reuters.
Five people informed Reuters that senior officials from the world’s largest intelligence agencies held a secret meeting this weekend in Singapore.
Such meetings are coordinated by the Singapore government and have been tactfully held at a different location close to the highest security point for a very long time, they said.
There has been no prior reporting of the meetings.
Despite the tensions that exist between the two superpowers, China was one of the other countries present.
The head of the US intelligence community, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, was there to represent the US.
One person with knowledge of the discussions stated, “The meeting is an important fixture on the international shadow agenda.”
It is not a festival of tradecraft because of the variety of countries involved; rather, it is a means of promoting a deeper comprehension of intentions and goals.
“There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can talk when more formal and open diplomacy is harder – it is a very important factor during times of tension, and the Singapore event helps promote that.”
Due to the sensitive nature of the matter, all five sources who discussed the meetings declined to identify themselves, according to Reuters.
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