New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) India will host the first India-US 2+2 Dialogue on September 6 in Delhi, the
Ministry of External Affairs announced here on Friday.
"Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will host the US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis, in New Delhi on
September 6 for the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters here, in response to a question.
This new dialogue format is in pursuit of agreement reached between India and the US, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington on June 25-26 in 2017, he said.
The meeting will cover a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues of shared interest, with a view to strengthening strategic and security ties between the two countries, the MEA Spokesman added.
"Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis look forward to meeting with their Indian counterparts, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman, to discuss strengthening strategic, security, and defence cooperation as the United States and India jointly address challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday.
The dialogue is seen as a vehicle to give a further boost to the strategic relationship between the two countries.
Last month, the US postponed the dialogue, scheduled to be held in Washington, due to 'unavoidable reasons'.
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