US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would travel to New Delhi for the third India-US 2+2 Dialogue next week on his second Asia trip in less than a month that would also take him to Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
"Looking forward to my upcoming trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia, for productive conversations with our friends and partners, and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with" Defence Secretary Mark Esper and "our Indian" counterparts, Pompeo said.
Each stop, he said, will include discussions on a "broad range of bilateral topics."
Discussions will also include how they can cooperate to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific," he said. "I'm sure my meetings will also include discussions on how free nations can work together to thwart threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party," he told reporters at a news conference.
In New Delhi, Pompeo and Esper and their Indian counterparts will lead the third annual US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to advance the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation to promote stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world, Pompeo's spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said.
During his Asia trip from October 25 to 30, Pompeo will also travel to Colombo to underscore the commitment of the United States to a partnership with a strong, sovereign Sri Lanka and to advance their common goals for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, she said.
Thereafter, Pompeo will travel to the Maldives to reaffirm America's close bilateral relationship and advance their partnership on issues ranging from regional maritime security to the fight against terrorism, Ortagus said.
"The Secretary will travel to Jakarta to deliver public remarks and meet with his Indonesian counterparts to affirm the two countries' vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, said the State Department spokesperson.
