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India-US 2+2 dialogue: Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper set to arrive in India today; key military pact on agenda

Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval and hold discussions with other government and business leaders on ways to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper will arrive in India on Monday for the third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue to be held on Tuesday. The visit comes a week before the American presidential election scheduled on November 3.

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 Indian side will be represented by the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The visiting leaders will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval and hold discussions with other government and business leaders on ways to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

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."

Pompeo's visit marks the fourth visit to India by a Secretary of State during the Trump Administration.

Pompeo will also visit Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia to engage the countries in discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

He will be urging the Sri Lankan officials to make decisions about its relationship with China and to review the option that the United States offers for transparent and sustainable economic development, according to an earlier statement by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson.

The 2+2 ministerial dialogue focuses on a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expansion in cooperation to promote stability and prosperity in the India-Pacific and the world.

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

The US and India enjoy robust defense industrial cooperation. 

Through the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, both the nations work together on co-production and co-development of defense equipment, the department said.

In July 2020, the Indian Navy successfully completed a passing exercise with the US Navy as the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group transited through the Indian Ocean Region.

In 2019, the US and India held their first-ever tri-service exercise, Tiger Triumph, in which the US Navy and Marines, Air Force, and Army participated in a bilateral exercise with their Indian counterparts.

The United States welcomes Australia joining the Malabar naval exercise alongside India and Japan. "Defense trade has increased significantly over the past two decades. India maintains the largest fleets of C-17 and P-8 aircraft outside of the United States, and as of 2020 the United States has authorised more than USD 20 billion in defense sales to India," the State Department said.

(With agency inputs)

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