The visiting leaders will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold discussions with other government and business leaders on ways to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership

New Delhi: US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is scheduled to arrive in India on Monday for the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The dialogue is programmed just a week ahead of the American presidential election and in the midst of India’s festering border row with China.

Therefore, as Pompeo makes his fourth visit to India as a Secretary of State during the Trump Administration, here are a few things to know about his visit:

1. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be visiting New Delhi with Defines Secretary Mark Esper for the third US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The 2+2 Dialogue will be held on October 27. Also Read - US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Defence Chief Mark Esper to Visit India For 2+2 Talks on Oct 26-27

2. In New Delhi, Pompeo and Esper and their Indian counterparts will lead the third annual US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation to promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world.

3. Pompeo and Esper will hold meetings with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

4. The visiting leaders will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold discussions with other government and business leaders on ways to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

5. The foreign leaders will be holding a meeting with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval as well.

6. A series of bilateral, regional and global issues including China’s efforts to expand influence in the Indo-Pacific region as well as its aggressive behaviour in eastern Ladakh is likely to be a part of discussion during the talks.

7. The India-US 2+2 talks will focus on four themes — regional security cooperation, defence information sharing, military-to-military interactions, and defence trade.

8. It is expected that the two sides may finally ink the long-pending BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties. The BECA will provide for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

9. During his Asia trip from October 25 to 30, Pompeo will also travel to Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia, for productive conversations and discussions on a broad range of bilateral topics.

10. Pompeo will be also asking the Sri Lankan officials to make decisions about its relationship with China and to review the option that the United States offers for transparent and sustainable economic development.