New Delhi: Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh landed in Washington, DC on Sunday as part of a five-day visit to the United States, which includes a 2+2 ministerial meeting between India and the United States, news agency ANI reported.
Rajnath will be in the United States from April 10 to 15, meeting with US leaders to discuss measures to strengthen the India-US strategic alliance.
“I will leave New Delhi tonight to visit the United States of America from April 10 to April 15. I look forward to attending the 4th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington DC. Also, I look forward to this visit. I will visit INDOPACOM Headquarters in Hawaii during this time,” the Defense Minister tweeted on Saturday.
On April 11, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will greet the Indian Defense Minister at a special event at the Pentagon (Sunday).
On Sunday, India and the United States will hold a 2+2 meeting involving Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and their US counterparts.
“The dialogue will enable the two sides to comprehensively review cross-cutting issues on the India-US bilateral agenda relating to foreign policy, defense and security, with a view to providing strategic guidance and a vision to further strengthen the ties,” A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was quoted by ANI in its report.
“The 2+2 dialogue will 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,” the statement said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Ash Carter will greet their Indian counterparts in Washington DC on Sunday, according to a US State Department press release.
The US State Department said, “The relations between the world’s largest democracies are built on a foundation of common values and resilient democratic institutions, and the shared Indo-Pacific interests of a rules-based international order that protects sovereignty and territorial integrity, human rights and promote regional and global peace and prosperity.”
State Department Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a briefing that the Secretary of State will meet separately with her counterpart, External Affairs Minister Blinken, and will also meet key officials of the US administration to advance the India-US Strategic Global Partnership.
External Affairs Minister Antony Blinken spoke to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Tuesday ahead of a 2+2 discussion to assess regional and global objectives, particularly the situation in Ukraine. The most recent 2+2 ministerial talks between the two countries took place in New Delhi in October 2020.
In September last year, India and the United States held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional conference in Washington, where they discussed developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the western Indian Ocean.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden on Monday ahead of the 2+2 talks between India and the US.
(with ANI inputs)