Pompeo Avoids Comment on India Citizenship Law in Minister Visit

  • Top U.S. diplomat, Pentagon chief met with Indian counterparts
  • Trump administration courting India on defense, trade issues

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold a news conference in Washington on Dec. 18. 

Photographer: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
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Secretary of State Michael Pompeo declined to offer a view on India’s controversial citizenship law following a meeting between U.S. and Indian officials despite making advocacy for religious freedom a key theme of his time as the top U.S. diplomat.

“We care deeply and always will about protecting minorities, protecting religious rights everywhere,” Pompeo told reporters at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday. “The United States will be consistent in the way that we respond to these issues not only in India but all across the world.”