US State Secretary Antony Blinken to arrive in New Delhi tomorrow for 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, while speaking on Blinken's visit to India, said: "India is a country that we have a deep partnership with. He (Blinken) will be going for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue along with Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin. So I expect, of course, that deepening this security cooperation in partnership, will be, one of the many topics that are discussed."

"It was something that was obviously raised during Prime Minister Modi's state visit earlier this year. And I know the secretary looks forward to being there and in engaging directly, with his counterparts on this. But I will let the trip take place before we talk more about it," he added.

The US State Department recently said that a high-profile US delegation led by Secretary of State Blinken and also featuring Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III, will arrive in New Delhi for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

The dialogue will provide a platform for top-level discussions between the US and India, addressing critical bilateral and global matters, with special emphasis on developments unfolding in the Indo-Pacific region.

US State Secretary Blinken and Defence Secretary Austin will meet with their Indian counterparts, Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, as well as other senior officials.

The discussions are expected to encompass a wide spectrum of issues, including strengthening bilateral relations, addressing global concerns, and promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

"The Secretary will then travel to New Delhi to participate in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. The delegation will meet with Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, and other senior Indian officials to discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific," read an official statement by the US State Department.

The spokesperson for the US State Department, Matthew Miller said, "Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will travel to Tel Aviv, Israel; Amman, Jordan; Ankara, Turkiye; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK); and New Delhi, India November 2-10, 2023."

The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is a diplomatic summit held every year since 2018, with the Minister of External Affairs and the Defence Minister representing India and the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence representing the United States.

The discussions centre on common issues of concern between the two countries.

India and the US have been holding these dialogues for further strengthening their strategic ties and this would be the fifth edition of these parleys, the government sources had earlier told ANI.

The US side is also expected to push for military hardware cooperation while India is likely to ask for the sharing of high-end technology for developing indigenous weapon systems during the ministerial, according to sources.

India and the US recently agreed to a USD 3 billion deal for supplying 31 MQ-9B Predator drones to Indian defence forces.

The US is also pushing for the sale of six additional P-8I surveillance planes to India. (ANI)