Describing Foreign Minister S Jaishankar as “my friend” and “an exceptional diplomat”, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Tuesday that the United States and India “have never been closer”.
“The US relationship with Asia’s most populous democracy has never been closer, from trade to military cooperation and more,” Pompeo wrote in a tweet, linking a speech he gave in June 2019 during his official visit to the Indian capital of New Delhi.
Mike Pompeo’s Earlier Tweets
In that speech, Pompeo had said, “Each of us, India and the United States, should see the world as it really is, and see each other for who we are: great democracies, world power, and good friends. We have the potential to create a new type of partnership that will not only benefit us, but also the region, and the world as a whole. “
He then tweeted the announcement to his Indian counterpart: “US-India relations have been strengthened by a great strategist and leader as my friend,” he wrote, adding hashtags at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in Atlanta with President Trump and Modi’s campaign slogan: #HowdyModi, #ModiaiHumk.
Pompeo has been tweeting foreign policy achievements and high-level areas of Trump’s administration such as the North Korean talks, which ultimately yielded nothing, and he defended himself from criticism of being soft on Russia and harsh on European allies.
The tweets have been described by some as “soft launch” for his White House race, which was widely thought of, but also looks like the country’s secretary was holding a farewell meeting, which he could not officially confirm because President Donald Trump did not accept defeat and went on to say he won the November election.
Biden Administration Transition
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday appeared to finally acknowledge that President Donald Trump’s presidency is close to its final days. His public acknowledgement came almost two months after President-elect Joe Biden declared victory and more than three weeks after all 50 states confirmed their results.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Pompeo pondered his stay at the State Department and said he regretted that the U.S did not go much further on issues related to China and North Korea.
“So as we talk about the first week in January, do you think the world is safer today than last year or two or three years ago, or maybe it’s not as safe as it once was?” David Rubenstein of Bloomberg asked at once.
“No, I think we’re leaving – after four years, I think we’re leaving the world safer than when we came in,” replied Pompeo, his first public confession that Trump’s administration was about to end.
Pompeo said he hoped that “whoever is the next secretary of state” – Biden said he would elect Antony Blinken to the post – would see the threat posed by China and continue to “push back” against Iran.
Pompeo’s comments Tuesday were the strongest apparent acknowledgment that the next four years won’t be governed by a Trump administration.
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