India, US to hold 2+2 dialogue on 11 April

India and US will hold ministerial 2+2 talks on 11 April, according to official statements from the country's external affairs ministry and the US state department.

The Indian delegation will be led by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and the US will be represented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Llyod Austin.

"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 vision for further consolidating the relationship," MEA said.

"The 2+2 dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern," it said

As part of an ongoing and regular dialogue, Jaishankar will separately meet his US counterpart Secretary Blinken. He is also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to further advance the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership.

This year’s event will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirm the importance of the US-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, the US state department said in a statement.

"The 2+2 Ministerial is an important opportunity to advance our shared objectives across the breadth of the US-India Strategic Partnership, including enhancing our people-to-people ties and education cooperation, building diverse, resilient supply chains for critical and emerging technology, scaling up our climate action and public health cooperation, and developing a trade and investment partnership to increase prosperity for working families in both countries," it said.

"It is also a chance to highlight the growing Major Defense Partnership between the United States and India. The relationship between the world’s largest democracies is built on a foundation of common values and resilient democratic institutions, and the shared Indo-Pacific interests of a rules-based international order that safeguards sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds human rights, and expands regional and global peace and prosperity," it added.

Ahead of the 2+2 dialogue, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with EAM Jaishankar on a phone call to review regional and global priorities, including the situation in Ukraine.

The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi.

India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional meeting in September last year in Washington and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the Western Indian Ocean.