Mark Esper accorded Guard of Honour, holds talks with Rajnath Singh

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi on Monday for the India-US 2+2 dialogue with their Indian counterparts.

Esper visited the South Block where he was accorded Guard of Honour. He was received by his Indian counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, ANI reported.

Following the ceremony, Esper and Singh headed for a meeting in which Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh are present.

“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for the 3rd 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. He is joined by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper,” tweeted Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The third edition of the 2+2 dialogue will be held on Tuesday. The Indian side will be led by the Defence Minister and Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar.

Last week, the MEA spokesperson said the talks will entail a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues as well as deliberations on regional and global development.

Also read: India welcomes Mike Pompeo as he campaigns against China

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