2+2 dialogue will reaffirm importance of India-US strategic partnership: US

The US said its 2+2 dialogue with India will reaffirm the importance of the comprehensive and global strategic partnership between the two countries in ensuring international peace and security

The US on Thursday said its 2+2 dialogue with India will reaffirm the importance of the comprehensive and global strategic partnership between the two countries in ensuring international peace and security and the shared commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold the fourth edition of the dialogue with US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on April 11 in Washington, the Office of the US State Department Spokesperson said.

"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 spokesperson said in a release.

"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.

The dialogue is also a chance to highlight the growing major defense partnership between the United States and India, the statement said.

"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 said, in an apparent reference to China which has been acting aggressively in the region.

In New Delhi, Arindam Bagchi, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during a media briefing said the dialogue will provide an opportunity to exchange views on important regional and global developments and how both sides can work together to address common interests and concerns.

The unfolding situation in Ukraine is expected to be discussed in the fourth edition of the dialogue.

The MEA spokesperson said Jaishankar will visit the US from April 11 to 12. As part of an ongoing and regular dialogue, the Minister of External Affairs will separately meet his US counterpart Secretary Blinken.

He said Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to further advance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Jaishankar and Blinken held a telephonic conversation on Tuesday, focusing on the latest developments in Ukraine and bilateral ties.

Last week, US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economics Daleep Singh visited India.

Talking to reporters, Singh had cautioned that there will be consequences for countries actively attempting to "circumvent or backfill" American sanctions against Moscow and that Washington would not like to see a "rapid" acceleration in India's import of energy and other commodities from Russia.

At the media briefing, Bagchi said India has established economic relations with Russia and the focus has been to stabilise these ties in the current circumstances.