The outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, calling him a great diplomat and a leader, adding that the "US-India relationship was made all the stronger" because of his efforts.
“The US-India relationship was made all the stronger with a great diplomat and leader as my friend,” Pompeo tweeted.
Pompeo posted a picture of him with Jaishankar, along with the caption.
The Donald Trump presidency will officially end at noon on January 20, 2021, with all the proceedings leading to the transition to the Biden administration complete by that day.
Pompeo had last visited India on October 26 last year. He came for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Delhi. The meeting focused on regional security cooperation, defence information-sharing, global cooperation, economic cooperation, and working together in the Indo-Pacific.
He also had a two-hour-long bilateral meet with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, key areas of focus were Indo Pacific, the situation in Afghanistan, and Tokyo discussions.
Sources told WION, both sides, "exchanged views on current global situation and its contemporary challenges and discussed our shared concerns and interests including stability and security in Asia, and how best that can be ensured"
Other focus areas of discussion were maritime security, open connectivity, and resilient supply chains. During the meet, US Secretary of State shared with EAM the Trump Administration’s thinking on Afghanistan.
During the meet, EAM called for "supportive policies" that helps in talent flow and underlined that an "innovation partnership is central to our future". Washington has been tightening visa rules, something that has been concerning many Indians who have been going to the US for jobs, education.