India and the US have agreed to reschedule the postponed ‘2+2 dialogue’ at a mutually convenient time and location as soon as possible, a State Department spokesperson has said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were earlier scheduled to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with American official Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis on July 6, media reports said.
But on Wednesday, Pompeo spoke over the phone with Swaraj to express his “regret and deep disappointment” at the US having to postpone the dialogue for “unavoidable reasons”, reported PTI.
During the phone call, Pompeo reportedly discussed further strengthening the US-India cooperation, the spokesperson said, asserting that India is “a major priority” for the Trump administration.
“The Secretary and Minister Swaraj agreed the 2+2 dialogue would be rescheduled as soon as possible at a mutually convenient time and location,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Without explaining the “reason” behind the postponement of the dialogue, the spokesperson asserted that the US-India relationship is “a major priority” for the Trump administration and it looks forward to continuing to “strengthen” the partnership.
“India’s central role in US national security is enshrined in the President’s National Security Strategy, which noted that ‘We welcome India’s emergence as a leading global power and stronger strategic and defence partner’,” the spokesperson reportedly said.