NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived here on Tuesday to hold talks with the top Indian leadership -- the first high-level visit from any country following the Lok Sabha polls. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pompeo will hold talks on Wednesday with India's purchase of S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, terrorism, H1B visas, trade and the situation arising out of US sanctions on buying oil from Iran likely to be on the table, along with a host of other issues.


Pompeo's visit comes ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, which will be held in Osaka, Japan from June 28-29.

Pompeo will also have a working lunch with Jaishankar and call on Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday. He will meet Indian and US business leaders in a roundtable format and deliver a policy speech at the India International Centre here.

India will try to find common ground on trade issues during discussions with visiting
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

Terrorism, Afghanistan, the Indo-Pacific, Iran, trade issues, and growing bilateral defence ties will be the focus of discussions between the Indian government and Pompeo on Wednesday.

"We will be meeeting with a positive attitude," Jaishankar told reporters after filing his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha poll from Gujarat.

"The meeting with Mike Pompeo will be an important one. A minister from the US is visiting India for the first time after the general elections. We will definitely discuss issues related to trade between the two countries," Jaishankar said, addressing a press conference at the Gujarat BJP office.

"Both the countries have their interests. And it is natural to have some conflicts because of that. We will find a common ground using diplomacy. We will hold discussions with the US with a positive approach," he said.