US secretary of state Pompeo meets PM Modi to strengthen India-US strategic partnership

By PTI News  |  First Published Jun 26, 2019, 1:12 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also meet United States President Donald Trump later this week during the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan

New Delhi: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 26) and discussed various aspects of the bilateral relationship to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and the United States.

Pompeo, who arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday (June 25) night, is set to hold a detailed discussion with external affairs minister S Jaishankar in the afternoon and will also have a working lunch with him.

"Working together to further deepen our strategic partnership. Secretary Pompeo called on PM Narendra Modi to exchange views on various aspects of Indo-US relationship. PM will meet President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 Osaka Summit," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with pictures of the meeting.

Ahead of the strategically important India-US talks, diplomatic sources on Tuesday (June 25) said India meets the US waiver criteria for procuring the S-400 missile defence system from sanctions-hit Russia and asserted that New Delhi could not "wish away" its defence ties with Moscow.

Besides, India's missile defence system deal with Russia, terrorism, H-1B visas, trade and the situation arising out of US sanctions on buying oil from Iran, are likely to be discussed on Wednesday (June 26) during the talks between Jaishankar and Pompeo.

Pompeo's talks would be the first high-level interaction between the two countries after the Modi government returned to power last month.

Pompeo's visit comes ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan later this week.

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