India-US prepare for 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Delhi
As the fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial dialogue is all set to take place in New Delhi on November 10, the defence and the foreign ministers of both countries will take the opportunity to progress the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership as envisioned by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden.
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar will welcome US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III for the Fifth India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue here in the national capital, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.
A high-level assessment of the advancements being made in intersecting areas of technological value chain partnerships, people-to-people relationships, and military and security cooperation will be possible through the 2+2 dialogue.
The ministers of both nations will not only take the opportunity to progress the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership but will also take stock of contemporary regional issues.
According to the MEA release, the leaders will also exchange views about shared priorities for augmenting cooperation in multilateral platforms, and through frameworks such as QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue).
Notably, Rajnath Singh and Jaishankar are also slated to have bilateral meetings with their respective US counterparts, which will mark a continuity of Ministerial Dialogue and reaffirm the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic partnership.
Earlier a release from the US Department of Defence said that "Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to India to meet with his counterpart, Minster of Defence Rajnath Singh, to discuss expanding defence industrial cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and advancing innovation through the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X)."
"The Secretary and Minister Singh will also participate in the fifth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue alongside Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar. Following the Ministerial, Secretaries Blinken and Austin will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi" the release read.
US Secretary of state Antony Blinken has been criss-crossing the Middle East in an effort to resolve the crisis even as the Israel-Hamas conflict enters its second month. The crisis in the Middle East is likely to feature in the 2+2 dialogue.
(ANI)