The United States has deferred a key meeting with India which was scheduled to be held on July 6. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were scheduled to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
The two countries have agreed to reschedule the postponed ‘2+2 dialogue’ at a mutually convenient time and location as soon as possible, a US State Department spokesperson told mediapersons.
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Pompeo spoke over the phone with Swaraj to express his “regret and deep disappointment” at the US having to postpone the dialogue for “unavoidable reasons”.
US @SecPompeo spoke to EAM @SushmaSwaraj a short while ago to express his regret and deep disappointment at the US having to postpone the 2+2 Dialogue for unavoidable reasons. 1/2
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 27, 2018
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
During the phone call, Pompeo discussed further strengthening the US-India cooperation, the spokesperson said, asserting that India is “a major priority” for the Trump administration.
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Though a clear reason for postponing the meet has not be disclosed, there has been a spate of news reports about US slamming India for 100% tariffs and asking Indian companies to stop importing oil from Iran. However, some industry watchers feel the focus could be the upcoming US-Russia summit.
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