Washington, December 18: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday will meet his US counterpart, Mike Esper in Washington as part of 2+2 ministerial summit. It will be the first Indo-US ministerial 2+2 dialogue which is taking place on the American soil. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also meet his counterpart, Mike Pompeo, during the second edition of the summit. EAM S Jaishankar Says '2+2 Dialogue Reflects Synergy Between India's Act East Policy and Japan's Vision for Free, Open Indo-Pacific'.

The Indian Defence Minister is expected to meet Esper at the Pentagon. According to reports, both the leader will then travel together to the state department where they will meet Jaishankar and Pompeo. During the dialogue, India and the US are expected to announce the signing of the Industrial Security Annex (ISA). The contract will enable American defence manufactures to partner with Indian private sector companies.

India will also discuss the purchase of defence equipment from the US including maritime helicopters called “Romeos” — MH 60R Seahawks. The announcement related to the sale of these maritime helicopters for the Indian Navy can also be made. The US in April this year approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 "Romeo" Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of USD 2.4 billion.

The inaugural edition of the ministerial dialogue took place last year in September in New Delhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump agreed to initiate dialogue for elevating strategic consultations with a focus on Indo-Pacific region. During the last 2+2 ministerial dialogue, both the countries signed Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). India-Japan Annual Summit to Take Place from December 15-17, Says MEA.

Meanwhile, ahead of the summit, Singh while addressing a gathering in New York on Monday backed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019. He said that the law is non-discriminatory and it aimed only to provide citizenship of victims of religious persecution in neighbouring Muslim-majority countries

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2019 02:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).