NSA Doval meets Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper; greets them with elbow bump

Amid the ongoing stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defence secretary Mark Esper who are in New Delhi for the third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue.

Mr Doval was seen exchanging elbow bumps with the US leaders; all of them were wearing face masks. Mr Pompeo's mask had the print of the American flag.

Pompeo landed in India on Monday along with his wife Susan, and US Secretary of Defence Mark T. Esper, even as the campaigning for the US presidential election reaches its final stage for the polls due on November 3.

Official sources said Doval had a very constructive meeting with Pompeo, as well as Esper, at the South Block.

They discussed a number of issues and challenges of strategic importance, the sources said, adding that both sides highlighted the need to take forward shared objectives and build capabilities across all domains so as to ensure a safe, stable and rule-based regional and global security environment.

The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

In a statement released by the US Department of Defence, Esper met his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh ahead of the formal 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi on Monday.

Esper and Singh applauded the strength of the defence relationship between the US and India, and reinforced their commitment to deepening military-to-military cooperation, including joint-service cooperation; increasing secure communications capabilities; and enhancing mutual logistics engagements, the statement said.

The two leaders commended the conclusion of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement during the visit, and welcomed the expansion of information-sharing.

From collaborating on emerging technologies to advancing defence trade priorities, Esper and Singh agreed to continue to work in partnership to address pressing global security challenges.

In his meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday, Pompeo, according to the US Principal Deputy Spokesperson Cale Brown, welcomed the third US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in just over two years as a symbol of the strong partnership between the two countries.

"From addressing the shared challenges of Covid-19 and responding to regional security issues, to collaborating on vaccine development and economic prosperity, the Secretary and the Minister agreed that the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is critical to the security and prosperity of both countries, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world," the statement said.

Pompeo welcomed India's upcoming term on the UN Security Council and the opportunity for the US and India to work closely together on issues of mutual and global concern. Both leaders looked forward to additional opportunities to further strengthen the US-India partnership.