Why this is called '2+2' talks

India's missile deal with Russia

US sanctions on Iran

COMCASA

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and defence secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Delhi on Wednesday to hold the inaugural two-plus-two talks with their Indian counterparts.Reflecting the importance of the talks to be held on Thursday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj received Pompeo, while defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman welcomed her US counterpart Jim Mattis at the Palam airport.It's called '2+2' because two appointed ministers from each country meet to discuss issues of strategic and security interest. The dialogue was postponed twice earlier because more important things came up.This will be the highest political and diplomatic engagement between the two countries this year.The external affairs minister will have a separate bilateral meeting with Pompeo while Sitharaman will have a one-on-one meeting with Mattis on Thursday morning before the delegation-level two-plus-two talks.As secretary Pompeo arrived here from Islamabad, India will also try to get his view about his engagement with the new government in Pakistan headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, official sources said.Twelve officials from each side are expected to attend the talks which will be followed by a working lunch. In the afternoon, Swaraj, Sitharaman, Pompeo and Mattis will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Two things that the US doesn't want India to do — buy a missile defence system from Russia and oil from Iran — will be discussed but won't be the primary focus. The meeting is about things that are 'big and strategic and will go on for 20, 40, 50 years' as Pompeo puts it. One of those is future defence deals. The US has designated India as a 'major defence partner' but insists that for it to get access to cutting-edge technology, some 'foundational agreements' should be in place. The second could be about India's (and US) role in the Indo-Pacific region (a relatively new term replacing Asia-Pacific). And then there's terrorism. US wants India to join a group on anti-terror cooperation that has 49 other members (including Saudi Arabia).In the talks, the sources said, India will also try to "sensitise" the US that any cut in import of Iranian oil in compliance with the US sanctions may impact the country's overall economy as the crude oil from that country is much cheaper. On import of Iranian oil, the sources said India may also convey to the US that some of its refineries are dependent on certain kind of crude oil and making technical adjustments in them may require huge investments as well as time.After withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, the US has imposed sanctions on Iran. It has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from the Gulf nation to "zero" by November 4 or face sanctions.Both sides will also discuss the long-pending Communications, Compatibility, Security Agreement (COMCASA). The COMCASA will help India obtain critical and encrypted defence technologies for Indian defence platforms from the US. The sources said text of the agreement is almost ready.(With inputs from agencies)