Written by Manjiri Sachin Chitre | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reached Washington to attend the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue. Reportedly, Rajnath Singh will also meet his counterpart Llyod Austin in the Pentagon separately to discuss defence cooperation including defence industrial collaboration and capability building through military-to-military engagements.
He is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in Hawaii after his visit to Washington DC. The INDOPACOM is the oldest and largest combatant command of the US. It is responsible for American military activities in the Indo-Pacific.
The Indian delegation will be led by defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar at the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue. On the other hand, the US delegation will be led by secretary of state Antony Blinken and secretary of defence Llyod Austin.
The two countries are set to hold the fourth 2+2 ministerial dialogue from April 10 to April 15, in order to boost their strategic partnership and review bilateral cooperation across domains. India and the US will also chart the way forward during the dialogue.
Read more: India, US 2+2 talks on April 11, focus on international peace
The US state department in a statement on Thursday had said the discussions between the two countries will “celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, reaffirm the importance of the US-India Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership in ensuring international peace and security, stress on their shared commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, and chart an ambitious course in the bilateral defence partnership.”
Meanwhile, India’s external affairs ministry statement had said, “The dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and a vision for further consolidating the relationship.”
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