U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit India next week for strategic talks

October 21, 2020

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, DC, U.S., October 14, 2020. Manuel Balce Ceneta/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper will travel to India next week for a top-level ministerial dialogue, a statement from India’s external affairs ministry said on Wednesday, and are expected to discuss defense and trade issues.

Pompeo and Esper will hold two-plus-two talks with Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S.Jaishankar on Oct. 27, the statement said.

The so-called two-plus-two talks were started by U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 and two meetings have been held previously in New Delhi and Washington