Rajnath Singh, Jaishankar hold meetings with their US counterparts Mark Esper, Mike Pompeo

Washington, Dec 18: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held meetings with their American counterparts Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo on Wednesday during which they discussed issues of mutual and regional interests.

Singh, who is here on his maiden visit to the US as Defense Minister, was accorded a 21 gun salute at the River Side entrance of the Pentagon.

He thereafter held a one-on-one meeting with Esper and then along with the delegations of the two countries. The two leaders discussed issues related to strengthening defence ties and issues of mutual interest and concerns, including the neighbourhood and the Indo-Pacific region.

Across the Potomac river at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, Jaishankar and Pompeo held one-on-one meeting discussing bilateral and regional issues.

In a brief photo-op, Pompeo welcomed Jaishankar to the US.

Following the meeting, Singh and Esper drove to the State Department to join Jaishankarand Pompeo for the second 2+2 talks.

The 2+2 dialogue on Wednesday comes after a record four meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump this year, including the massive joint address by the leaders in Houston in September.

The first 2+2 was held in New Delhi in September last year after the mechanism was approved by Modi and Trump.