New Delhi, Nov 10 – The fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue kicked off on Friday in New Delhi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar co-chairing the Dialogue alongside US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
In his opening remarks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the need for both countries to focus on critical and long-term issues, highlighting the importance of partnership in ensuring a free, open, and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region.
Singh noted the growing convergence of strategic interests in the India-US bilateral relationship, emphasizing enhanced defence, security, and intelligence cooperation. Defence remains a pivotal pillar in this collaboration. “Your visit to India is at a time when India and the US are closer than ever before,” he added.
Echoing Singh’s sentiments, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar emphasized the opportunity for the dialogue to advance the vision of building a forward-looking partnership and constructing a shared global agenda. The ministers are set to undertake a comprehensive overview of strategic defence and security ties, technology collaboration, supply chain cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.
Dr. Jaishankar highlighted the exploration of critical domains such as technology, civil outer space collaboration, and critical minerals. The key focus of discussions will be on the Indo-Pacific region.
Addressing bilateral trade, Dr. Jaishankar noted the rapid strides in the bilateral agenda, with trade exceeding 200 billion US dollars.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted the ambitious agenda set during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June, promoting a comprehensive strategic partnership. Both nations are committed to promoting a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific and strengthening partnerships through QUAD.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin emphasized the vast scope of cooperation between India and the US, ranging from the seabed to space. The strength of the world’s two largest democracies lies in people-to-people ties, with cooperation expanding into new areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, and Renewable Energy.
Prior to the Ministerial Dialogue, Dr. S Jaishankar held a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, discussing the strategic partnership and regional issues.
The dialogue is expected to cover strategic, defence, and technology issues, providing an opportunity to advance the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in their discussions earlier this year.
