US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have agreed to decide on new mutually convenient dates to hold the Dialogue.
“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj a short while ago to express his regret and deep disappointment at the US having to postpone the 2+2 Dialogue for unavoidable reasons,” the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
The US’ postponement move is a follow-up to the accusations made by US President Donald Trump over India. Trump had earlier accused India as charging almost 100 percent tariff on American imports. The move has heightened trade tensions between the two nations.
Earlier, India also seemed unwilling to accept the US demand on stopping all oil imports from Iran from November 4. The US has announced to impose sanctions on nations including India, if it continues importing after the November deadline. Halting oil import from Iran for a large and populous country like India, that too within a short window is a difficult task. Moreover, Iran is an important regional power and is also India’s gateway to Eurasia and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to UN, Nikki Haley is on her three day visit to India. Haley, who arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday, met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Haley also urged India to cut its dependence on Iranian oil
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were to hold talks with their American counterparts Mike Pompeo and James Mattis next week.The talk was expected to help change the current narrative surrounding the bilateral relationship amid economic and trade issues.
Pompeo and Mattis were to host Swaraj and Sitharaman in Washington DC for the maiden India-US 2+2 Dialogue.
The format was agreed on by the two countries during the White House meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in June 2017.
