Pompeo holds talks with India, others to discuss Covid-19 response

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Wednesday held discussions with Foreign Ministers of several countries including India over the Covid-19 pandemic response and discussed the importance of cooperation in reopening economies and fighting disinformation.

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, and the Republic of Korea. Secretary Pompeo and his counterparts discussed the importance of continued close coordination in response to the Covid-19 pandemic," said State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.

During the meeting, Pompeo said that "They (Ministers) noted the importance of close cooperation in reopening our economies and combatting disinformation, while also addressing the need for concerted efforts to prevent future pandemics."

Last week, Pompeo had said that the United States can partner with several countries across the globe, including India, in view of the threat posed by Chinese military capabilities.

"With respect to the Chinese Communist Party's military advances, they are real. General Secretary Xi is intent on building out his military capabilities. Our Department of Defense is doing everything it can to make sure it understands this threat. And I am confident that under President Trump our Department of Defense, our military, our national security establishment will keep us in a position where we can protect the American people, and indeed we can be good partners with our allies from India, from Australia, from South Korea, from Japan, from Brazil, from Europe, all around the world," Pompeo told Fox News.

"We can be good partners alongside them and ensure that the next century remains a Western one modelled on the freedoms that we have here in the United States," Pompeo added.