Pompeo, Esper to arrive in India today for 2+2 Ministerial dialogue

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New Delhi: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper will arrive in India for the third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Tuesday that focuses on a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expansion in cooperation to promote stability and prosperity in the India-Pacific and the world.

Wheels up for my trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia. Grateful for the opportunity to connect with our partners to promote a shared vision for a free and open #IndoPacific composed of independent, strong, and prosperous nations. pic.twitter.com/IoaJvtsHZC

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 25, 2020

The Indian side will be represented by the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The holding of the third US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue demonstrates the high-level commitment the two countries provide to shared diplomatic and security objectives, US State Department said on Sunday.

Taking to Twitter, Pompeo said, “Wheels up for my trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia. Grateful for the opportunity to connect with our partners to promote a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific composed of independent, strong, and prosperous nations.”

The India-US 2+2 talks will focus on four themes — regional security cooperation, defense information sharing, military-to-military interactions, and defense trade, said the US State Department on Friday.

The first two 2+2 Ministerial dialogues had been held in New Delhi in September 2018 and Washington DC in 2019. (ANI)