G20: US, Australia Foreign Ministers head to India for dialogue

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Blinken stated that he will attend the G20 Ministerial in India.

On March 1, Antony Blinken will visit India to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting.

He will attend a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi, US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu said in a virtual briefing on February 24.

"They will talk about our strategic partner partnership but really focus on how we're working together in the Asian Quad, in the G20, what we're doing on defence cooperation, and the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies that is being run out of the White House and the prime minister's office," Donald Lu said.

Blinken and Jaishankar will also meet with their Australian and Japanese counterparts who are a part of the QUAD Grouping, the US official informed reporters.

Donald Lu said, "On March 3rd, the Secretary will also participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Asian Quad, which is the United States, India, Japan, and Australia."

Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, will this week travel to India and Malaysia. Wong stated that she looks forward to meeting her counterparts at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi.

"This week I will travel to Malaysia and India to advance Australia's bilateral relationships and promote Australia's interests in a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," Penny Wong said in the press release.

Blinken and Wong will also participate in a panel at the Raisina Dialogue.

(ANI)