India and the US held the fifth India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi on Friday, with discussions on Indo-Pacific, defence, and global challenges as key on the agenda.
Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Defence Minister (DM) Rajnath Singh participated on the Indian side; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin represented the US in the meeting.
Key Focus on Indo-Pacific
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar mentioned that the Indo-Pacific region will be a key focus in the 2+2 talks.
Further, the US Secretary of State said, “This trip is part of an intensive period of American diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific.”
My opening remarks at the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue pic.twitter.com/rKmiWdPddu
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 10, 2023
Blinken mentioned, “We are promoting a free and open, prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific, including by strengthening our partnership through the Quad with Japan and Australia.”
Quad, as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is commonly called, is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the US, which is maintained by regular talks between member countries.
Blinken further emphasised that India and the US are enhancing maritime domain awareness by sharing commercial satellite data with countries in the region to boost their capacity to combat illegal fishing, piracy, and drug trafficking.
The two countries are also coordinating humanitarian relief disaster response efforts in the Indo-Pacific.
Accordingly, the Indian DM highlighted that the countries’ partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region.
Discussions on Global Developments, West Asia
In the context of ongoing global conflicts, the Indian EAM said that both sides will exchange views about developments in West Asia, the Middle East, and Ukraine, among other regions, during the meeting.
Blinken mentioned that India and the US are bolstering their partnership in international peace and security, and specifically working to promote the world’s rules-based order and uphold the principles at the heart of the UN Charter: Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity, and Independence.
“In face of urgent global challenges, it is more important than ever that the world’s two largest democracies exchange views, find common goals and deliver for our people,” Austin highlighted in his opening remarks at the meeting.
Defence and Security Ties
Jaishankar mentioned that the dialogue will be an opportunity to advance the vision of the respective leaders of the US and India, building a forward-looking partnership as the two countries share a global agenda.
“In the 2+2, we will undertake a comprehensive overview of crosscutting Strategic Defence and security ties, technology and supply chain collaborations and people-to-people exchanges,” the EAM said.
At the meeting, Indian DM Singh highlighted that defence remains one of the “most important pillars of the bilateral ties between the two countries.
He mentioned, “The India-US bilateral relationship has seen a growing convergence of strategic interests and enhanced defence, security and intelligence cooperation.”
Moreover, the US Defence Secretary also stressed that India and the US have made impressive gains in building their major defence partnership over the past year, which will help them contribute even more to the cause of peace and stability.
New Domains of Partnership
Austin said, “People-to-people ties are at the heart of our long-standing friendship.”
He mentioned that diplomats, entrepreneurs, and students of the two nations are expanding their partnership in new domains, including clean energy, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors.
“Our increasingly strong ties give us all hope for the future of this partnership and for our common efforts to a more secure world,” Austin added.
VIDEO | “When President Biden hosted PM Modi at the White House in June, both of our leaders set out a very ambitious agenda to build an even stronger and comprehensive partnership that delivers for our people,” says Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State at the 5th India-US 2+2… pic.twitter.com/3v4WCf7QDr
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 10, 2023
Jaishankar further outlined that India and the US were exploring domains such as critical technologies, civil-outerspace collaboration and critical minerals while consolidating established domains.
Blinken added that the two countries were cooperating in semiconductors, biotechnology, clean energy, and joint research and exploration projects in space.