US State Secretary Antony Blinken Arrives In India: What To Expect From 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

New Delhi: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in India on Thursday for the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, a key platform for advancing the bilateral and global cooperation between the two countries.

The US delegation was welcomed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, who said that the visit will boost the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Bagchi also posted a greeting message on the social media platform ‘X’.

The 2+2 dialogue, which was agreed upon during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US earlier this year, will cover a wide range of topics, such as strengthening bilateral ties, addressing global challenges, and promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where both countries face growing threats from China.

The US State Department’s Vedant Patel said that India is a country that the US has a deep partnership with, and that the dialogue will focus on security cooperation and other issues. He added that Blinken is eager to engage with his Indian counterparts on these matters.

Blinken and Austin will meet with their Indian counterparts, S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, who are the ministers of external affairs and defence, respectively, as well as other senior officials. The dialogue is expected to result in some important outcomes and deliverables for both sides.

Austin, who is on his ninth visit to the Indo-Pacific as the US defence secretary, also shared his vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific on the social media platform ‘X’. He said that the US, along with its allies and partners, is making historic progress toward this goal.

The US delegation was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the airport, and Austin also received a guard of honour as a mark of respect. After India, Austin will also visit Korea and Indonesia, two other key partners of the US in the region.