Defence and security cooperation will take center stage at the fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 10, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will welcome their US counterparts, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for the high-stakes annual talks in the national capital.
“The 2+2 will enable a high-level review of progress being made in cross-cutting aspects of defence and security cooperation, technology value chain collaborations and people-to-people ties,” the MEA said in a statement. “The Ministers will take the opportutnity to progress the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden, in their discussions in June and September this year,” it added.
Both sides will also take stock of contemporary regional issues and exchange views about shared priorities for augmenting cooperation in multilateral platforms, and through frameworks such as Quad, the MEA said. The ministry said that Defence Minister and the External Affairs Minister are also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with their respective U.S. counterparts, which will mark a continuity of Ministerial Dialogue and reaffirm the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic partnership.
‘Platform for reaffirming commitment’
The US State Department said earlier this month that State Secretary Blinken and Defence Secretary Austin will be travelling to New Delhi for the 2+2 ministerial. The 2+2 ministerial dialogue will serve as a platform for reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the two countries to their global partnership and their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to an expert. “Coming in the backdrop of a complex and ever-evolving global landscape, the dialogue will carry the promise of deepening a robust partnership between the two nations, particularly in the defence area,” said Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives, Asia Society Policy Institute.
“The upcoming fifth US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, set to bring together top officials from both nations in India this week, carries the promise of deepening a robust partnership that has seen remarkable progress, particularly in the realm of defence cooperation,” she said. “The dialogue will serve as a platform for reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the United States and India to their global partnership and their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Aamer.
(With agency inputs)
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