India's Foreign, Defence Ministers Holding 2+2 Talks With Pompeo, Esper - Ministry

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - As the third round of the annual US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue began in New Delhi, India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper for talks, the Indian Foreign Ministry's spokesman said on Tuesday.

"EAM @DrSJaishankar & RM @rajnathsingh welcomed their US counterparts Secretaries of State & Defense @SecPompeo & @EsperDoD. Bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest will be on the agenda," Anurag Srivastava wrote on Twitter.

🇮🇳-🇺🇸 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

EAM @DrSJaishankar & RM @rajnathsingh welcomed their US counterparts Secretaries of State & Defense @SecPompeo & @EsperDoD.

Bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest will be on the agenda. pic.twitter.com/WyGTnfM5Ay

— Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) October 27, 2020

​The meeting is being held in the Hyderabad House, which the Indian government uses as a venue for talks with high-level foreign guests.

Prior to the 2+2 talks, Pompeo and Esper paid a visit to the National War Memorial, according to Srivastava.

On Monday, Jaishankar and Pompeo, and Singh and Esper held separate meetings in New Delhi. Indian diplomatic sources told Sputnik that Jaishankar and Pompeo focused on security in Asia; cooperation on trade, energy, defense and education; and the situation in Afghanistan.