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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will co-chair the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and US State Secretary Antony Blinken on November 10.
Following the Ministerial Dialogue, US Defence Secretary Austin will conduct a bilateral meeting with Rajnath Singh. Austin will arrive in New Delhi today and will be welcomed with a Tri-service Guard of Honour at the Palam Technical Area. He departed for India from Joint Base Andrews to participate in the fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial dialogue Following his visit to India, Austin will be travelling to Korea and Indonesia, which will mark his 9th visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Meanwhile, Blinken will arrive in New Delhi tomorrow to participate in the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. "Secretary Austin and US Secretary of State Mr Antony Blinken will co-chair the Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on November 10," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Moreover, several issues will be discussed during the bilateral meeting and the Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue. "A number of strategic, defence and technology issues are expected to be discussed during the 2+2 dialogue and the bilateral meeting," the statement added. Notably, US Defence Secretary Austin visited India in June 2023 and met with Rajnath Singh. 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 the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence representing the United States. 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. 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 leaders 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). (ANI)
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