New Delhi: The third India-US 2+2 Ministerial dialogue is slated to be held on Tuesday, October 27. However, prior to this crucial meeting, the Minister and the US secretaries will be holding bilateral meetings on Monday.

While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet his counterpart Mark Esper at about 3.15 pm, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be meeting his counterpart, Mike Pompeo, at 7 pm at Hyderabad House.

The visiting dignitaries will be hosted by Rajnath Singh and Jaishankar for dinner.

As per report in Indiatoday, on Tuesday, the secretaries will begin the day by visiting the war memorial in the morning and laying a wreath in the honour of the fallen soldiers.

They will then head to Hyderabad House for the 2+2 Ministerial meeting. It is expected that the two sides may finalise the long-pending Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties.

“We have made significant progress towards concluding the last foundational defence enabling agreement – the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement or BECA,” senior officials of the Trump administration said last week in an online news briefing.

“This agreement will allow for expanded geospatial information sharing between our Armed Forces. We are also seeking to expand secure communication capabilities between our respective militaries as well as between our foreign defence ministries and that figures prominently in what we are trying to accomplish in the information-sharing space,” they added.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to Twitter before taking off for India and wrote, “Wheels up for my trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia. Grateful for the opportunity to connect with our partners to promote a shared vision for a free and open #IndoPacific composed of independent, strong, and prosperous nations.”

The top US leadership will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 1 pm on Tuesday which would be followed by press statements and media interaction.