US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo boards a flight for the trip to India.
Washington:
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo boarded the flight to India on Sunday for the third edition of the two plus two ministerial dialogue, which begins in New Delhi. The visit comes a week before the US presidential election scheduled for November 3.
The US official will travel with Defense Secretary Mark T Esper from October 25 to 29. Mr. Pompeo will also travel to Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia to engage countries in discussions on how free nations can work together to counter threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Mr Pompeo, on Twitter, said: “I am returning for my trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia. I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with our partners to promote a shared vision for a free and open IndoPacific made up of strong independent people and prosperous nations. “
En route 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
This will be the third India-US 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue. On October 27, they will meet Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and will also have bilateral talks with their counterparts.
They will also meet with NSA Ajit Doval and jointly challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The India-US 2 + 2 talks will focus on four themes – regional security cooperation, defense information sharing, military-to-military interactions and defense trade, the Department of Defense said on Friday. ‘US state. The first two 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogues were held in New Delhi in September 2018 and Washington DC in 2019.
Mr Pompeo will also call on Sri Lankan officials to make decisions about its relationship with China and review the option the United States offers for transparent and sustainable economic development, according to an earlier statement by the Senior Deputy Under Secretary. Dean Thompson.
