India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to Be Held in Delhi on Oct 27, Mike Pompeo & US Defence Secretary to Attend

India will host the third edition of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue with the United States in New Delhi on October 27, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark T Esper will visit India on October 26 and 27 for the talks, it said in a statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead the delegations from their respective ministries.

​The first two 2+2 ministerial dialogues were held in New Delhi in September 2018 and in Washington DC in 2019. The agenda for the third dialogue will cover all bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

"I am looking forward to our 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with our Indian friends. It was postponed because of the virus. I'm glad that we will be able to execute that in person in just a few days," said Pompeo.

“Secretary Pompeo and I will be there next week,” Esper had said on Tuesday. “It’s our second 2+2 with the Indians, the third ever for the United States and India and it is very important.”

Esper had said that India would be the most consequential partner for the US in the Indo-Pacific this century. “India will be the most consequential partner for us, I think, in the Indo Pacific for sure in this century,” he had said.

Esper had said their visit would be part of a wider US plan to strengthen older alliances and form new ones against Russian and Chinese efforts to build their own networks.

(With inputs from PTI)