US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in New Delhi

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo reached New Delhi on Monday ahead of the 2+2 ministerial level meet with Indian ministers. Pompeo arrived with his wife Susan Pompeo in New Delhi for the meet which will also see US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Both Esper and Pompeo will meet their Indian counterparts Minister of External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Both Pompeo and Esper's two-day visit will see bilateral talks with Jaishankar and Singh and a meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval. 

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This will be the third edition of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between the two nations and this time, officials have said, the focus would be regional security cooperation, defence information-sharing so that both New Delhi and Washington can tackle global challenges better.

Officials also said that there will be talks on public health cooperation to deal with coronavirus pandemic and cooperation on working together in the Indo-Pacific. 

As Pompeo was set to begin his trip to India and other Asian countries, he tweeted that he would "promote a shared vision for a free and open Indo Pacific".

"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, the secretary of state tweeted.