Pompeo, Esper to discuss advancing strategic partnership with Modi

By Arul Louis New York, Oct 23 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mike Esper will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week to discuss advancing the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership that he and President Donald Trump committed to, according to the senior diplomat for the region.
“United States and India are stronger, more secure, and more prosperous when we work together,” the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Dean Thompson told reporters on Thursday.
Pompeo and Esper are scheduled to visit New Delhi for the India-US 2+2 dialogue with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Mike Esper on Tuesday, exactly a week before the US presidential election.
“The 2+2 discussions will focus on global cooperation, on pandemic response, and challenges in the Indo-Pacific: economic space and energy collaboration, people-to-people ties, and defence and security cooperation,” Thompson said.
“In all of his meetings, the Secretary will look for opportunities to expand the US-India partnership in support of our mutual interests during these challenging times,” he added.
Asked about the timing of 2+2 meeting exactly a week before the presidential election, he said: “The fact that we could go now, that we could have this discussion, is driven by the situation in the region and what — where we’re headed.”