Two-plus-two dialogue an indication of deepening strategic partnership: US

The maiden two-plus-two dialogue between India and the United States scheduled in New Delhi next week is an indication of the deepening strategic partnership between the two countries, the Trump administration has said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Defense Secretary Jim Mattis are set to fly to New Delhi for the talks.

They will be meeting their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, to discuss enhancing America's engagement with India on critical diplomatic and security priorities, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference yesterday.

"The dialogue is an indication of the deepening strategic partnership between our two countries, and India's emergence as a net security provider in the region," she said.

The importance of the US-India strategic partnership is highlighted in the US President's National Security Strategy and the administration's South Asia and Indo-Pacific strategies, Nauert said.

"We look forward to that and to having some of you travel along with us," she added.