US postpones ‘2+2 dialogue’ with India due to ‘unavoidable reasons’
The US today conveyed to India that it has postponed the first ‘2+2 dialogue’ between the two sides due to “unavoidable reasons” and expressed regret.
The India-US ‘2+2 dialogue’ was to be held on July 6, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis.
Secretary of State Pompeo spoke with Swaraj and expressed his “regret and deep disappointment” at the US having to postpone the 2+2 dialogue for “unavoidable reasons”, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“US @SecPompeo sought EAM @SushmaSwaraj understanding, and they agreed to identify new mutually convenient dates to hold the Dialogue at the earliest, in India or the US,” he tweeted.
US @SecPompeo sought EAM @SushmaSwaraj understanding, and they agreed to identify new mutually convenient dates to hold the Dialogue at the earliest, in India or the US. 2/2
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 27, 2018
This new dialogue format was agreed upon between the two sides during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Washington in June 2017.
After June last year, the two countries have tried to schedule the dialogue many times with several dates having been considered.
The dialogue is seen as a vehicle to elevate the strategic relationship between the two countries. The meeting was expected to focus on strengthening strategic, security, and defence cooperation.
