NEW DELHI -- India and the United States held the inaugural edition of the twice-deferred 2+2 dialogue on Thursday, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meeting their US counterparts Michael R Pompeo and James Mattis.
Financial Express reported that Swaraj said in her opening remarks that she was confident that the talks would "help unleash the untapped potential of the relationship between the two nations and further elevate the level of engagement".
Bloomberg reported that the two countries were unlikely to reach a compromise on Iranian oil imports during US secretary of state Pompeo's visit. The report added that the talks would continue ahead of the Donald Trump administration's 4 November deadline for countries to halt Iranian oil imports or face sanctions.
ANI reported that Pompeo, in his opening statement, said efforts would be made to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolutions of maritime disputes and promotion of market-based economics.
PTI reported that ahead of the dialogue, Swaraj and Sitharaman held separate meetings on Thursday with Pompeo and James Mattis respectively.
Both Pompeo and Mattis arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for the talks finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington last year.