India and the US will hold their fourth annual 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed . External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will visit to US on 11-12 April. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 4th India-US Ministerial 2+2 dialogue in Washington, DC.
This will be first 2+2 plus dialogue since the Biden administration came to power in the US.
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 objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship, Bagchi said.
He informed that the EAM will also separately meet his US counterpart Secretary Antony Blinken. “EAM is also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to further advance the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership,” he said during a press briefing.
In a statement, US Department of State said Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin will welcome Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh to Washington, D.C. for the fourth U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
“This year’s event will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirm the importance of the U.S.-India Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership in ensuring international peace and security. It will reaffirm our shared commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” it said.
In the previous dialogue held in Delhi in 2020, India and the US had vowed to strengthen their overall security ties, and signed a total of five pacts, including the strategic Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) that will allow sharing of high-end military technology, classified satellite data and critical information. The next meeting was due in 2021 but could not be held due to Covid situation.
On Sri Lanka
The MEA said India has extended assistance of about USD 2.5 billion worth during the past 2-3 months, it includes credit facilities for fuel and food which are most required. Since mid-March, over 270,000 MT of diesel and petrol has been delivered to Sri Lanka. In addition, 40,000 tons of rice have been supplied other than recently extended USD 1 billion credit facility, he added.
“The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is rooted in shared civilisation values and aspirations of our people, our cooperation based on commonality and interest has been strengthened in recent months. We see the recent developments in this perspective,” Bagchi said.
He further said that India stands ready to continue working with Sri Lanka for rapid post-Covid economic recovery. “This is in line with our neighbourhood first policy and we have already conveyed to them on various occasions our readiness to extend whatever support we can,” the MEA spokesperson added.
MEA on Pakistan
Asked about the developments in Pakistan, Bagchi said this is their internal matter, and the MEA has no comments to offer as of now. “We are watching the developments but we don’t comment on internal matters,” he said.
