US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit India for the 2+2 Ministerial dialogue.
The visit will come at the end of a more than week-long trip from 2-10 November, which begins in Israel.
Overview
Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will participate in the dialogue from the Indian side.
US State Secy Anthony Blinken, Defense Secy Lloyd Austin to be in India next week for 2+2 dialogue
— ThePrintIndia (@ThePrintIndia) November 2, 2023
Keshav Padmanabhan @Keshav_Paddu reports #ThePrintForeignAffairshttps://t.co/BRJJYdgJmy
According to US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, the delegation will meet Jaishankar, Singh, and other senior Indian officials “to discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific.”
The fifth such meeting between the two countries will take place amid significant global turmoil in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The 2+2 dialogues between the two countries started in 2018. Two of these meetings have taken place in the US, and the other two in India. The exact dates of the trip to come have not been confirmed.
The last 2+2 dialogue held in 2022 took place against the backdrop of India facing criticism for not explicitly condemning Russia for its atrocities in Ukraine.
Besides the US, India has 2+2 meetings with Japan, Australia, and Russia as well.
India-US Ties
The upcoming dialogue comes amid growing tensions in the Israel-Palestine conflict, with India having abstained from voting on a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the US voting against it.
The India-US ties have seen a significant improvement in recent times. Both countries are a member of the Quad (India, the US, Australia, and Japan) grouping. Further, Indian PM Narendra Modi undertook a three-day State Visit to the US in June.
During the visit, the two sides strengthened their ties by signing MoUs across different sectors, including defence, critical technology, health, energy, and mobility.
They also launched the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) aimed at strengthening strategic technological cooperation.
US President Joe Biden also visited India and met Modi ahead of the G20 New Delhi Summit.
U.S. Secretary of State #AntonyBlinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would be travelling to #India for the 2+2 Ministerial dialogue with their Indian counterparts External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh this month.https://t.co/XOxZAwa26c
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) November 2, 2023
Both sides also settled the last outstanding World Trade Organisation dispute during the meeting.
The upcoming meeting will be the next significant step in the two countries’ ties.
Visit to Israel, Jordan, and the Indo-Pacific
Blinken will travel to Israel on 2 November to reiterate US support for Israel’s right to self-defence.
The Secretary will also visit Jordan to discuss the situation in Gaza and reaffirm the US’ commitment to ensure a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East.
Blinken will then lead delegations to Japan and South Korea to reiterate the US’ “ironclad commitment” to the two countries’ defence in the face of regional threats and aggression from countries like North Korea.
He will also participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of 2023 in Tokyo.
Further, the Secretary will visit Seoul to discuss mutual efforts to tackle global challenges, after which he will travel to New Delhi.