Mike Pompeo in India LIVE: US Secy of State Meets PM Modi, Meeting With Ajit Doval, Jaishankar Next on Agenda

India and the US have discussed defence on more than one occasion in the recent past. After the 2+2 meeting last year, and the US granting India Strategic Trade Authorization tier 1 status, meeting with the National Security Advisor becomes exceedingly relevant during Pompeo's visit. India's purchase of S-400s from Russia may become a point of discussion in the meeting.

Mike Pompeo leaves from PM Modi's residence and heads for a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Mike Pompeo and his convoy greet PM Modi at his residence.

#WATCH Delhi: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US Secretary of State is on a visit to India from June 25-27. pic.twitter.com/NS7fUvEDe6

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2019

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted: 

Working together to further deepen our strategic partnership@SecPompeo called on PM @narendramodi to exchange views on various aspects of Indo-US relationship. PM will meet President @realDonaldTrump on the sidelines of the upcoming #G20OsakaSummit pic.twitter.com/Jjjp9gTKbd

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 26, 2019

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, along with his convoy, visits the PM's residence.

Here is another visual from PM Narendra Modi's meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They are expected to address the press later today.

Modi Meets Pompeo | PM Narendra Modi is meeting with Mike Pompeo at his residence.

Pompeo Reaches PM's Residence | Mike Pompeo has arrived at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pompeo Set to Meet Ajit Doval | Mike Pompeo will kick-start his India visit by meeting National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in South Block, which houses the Ministry of Defence, this morning. They are expected to discuss terror and defence.

Earlier this month, India was alarmed at the possibility of caps on H-1B work visas that allow thousands of skilled Indians to work in the United States, as retaliation for its data localisation drive that affected numerous payment gateways including American companies Visa and MasterCard. However, the US State Department and Indian authorities confirmed that there were no such plans.

The United States granted India Strategic Trade Authorization tier 1 status last year, allowing India to enjoy the same license-free access to certain defense articles as NATO allies Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Quadrilateral dialogue between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia has occurred four times to discuss ways to strengthen a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific in which all nations are sovereign, strong, and prosperous.

Recent Strategic Interactions | Strategic interactions between the two countries have been elevated in the recent past. The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue that took place in India last year between Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman on the India side, and Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on the US side, strengthened ties on the defence front. It culminated in the announcement of a new tri-service exercise and the signing of a secure communications agreement that will enable India to operationalise its status as a Major Defense Partner of the US. The next 2+2 is likely to be held in Washington later this year.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE support a tough US stance on regional rival Iran. The US sought a coalition "not only throughout the Gulf states but in Asia and in Europe that understands this challenge and that is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror," Pompeo said, before his visit to the gulf nations.

Tensions between the US and Iran have shot up since a US drone was shot in what it claims was Iranian airspace, days after it accused Iran of an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Washington then imposed sanctions on top Iranian officials including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The move was made in a bit to threaten Iran that the US would "obliterate" it if it attacks "anything American".

Pompeo in India After Saudi, UAE Visit | What may emerge as casting a shadow over all these issues, could be the current crisis with regards to Iran. While Pompeo heads to India after visiting Saudi Arabia and UAE, India would want to be briefed on the current situation in its neighbourhood. The US has already discontinued the waiver on import of oil from Iran, and while New Delhi was looking for some relief and continues to say it will work as per its national interest, reports suggest that imports are being drastically cut down.

An important aspect of this meeting will be defence cooperation and strategic engagement. The US is wary of India's purchase of S-400s from Russia that may attract sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), and has encouraged the Russian ally to "look at alternatives". Defence and strategy discussions with reference to Indo-Pacific and "The Quad", a meeting that was held recently in Bangkok, will also take place.

Discussion on India's indecision to invite Huawei for 5G trials after the US urged its allies to adopt shared security and policy measures against the Chinese company is likely to take place. Huawei is on the US export blacklist. Pakistan's inaction on terror attacks in Mumbai, Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama will also constitute the agenda.

On the Agenda | Tariffs imposed by India on the US is expected to be discussed, specially after the recent inclusion of 28 products including almonds, apples and walnuts. The Trump administration has asked India to remove price caps on imported US medical devices, open up its dairy market and cut duties on IT products.  India has also mandated foreign firms to store their payments data locally, hurting companies such as Mastercard and Visa. The US has been pushing for data flow across borders in several countries, which could also be on the agenda.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes in the backdrop of heightened trade tensions between the countries, both of which are trying to promote domestic manufacturing. While PM Modi has been courting investors under the ‘Make in India’ campaign, Trump has pushed for US manufacturing to return home as part of his ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign.

For his first meeting with S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their Lok Sabha win, the US State Department has said Pompeo will have an "ambitious agenda for the US-India strategic partnership." His visit is expected to lay the ground for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Modi later in the week at a G20 meeting in Japan.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Three-Day Visit | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in India yesterday and is expected to meet his counterpart Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.