India-US 2+2 dialogue: Jaishankar meets US State Secy Blinken for key talks

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue got underway on Friday. The two leaders shook hands and greeted each other before heading for the fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

Secretary Blinken arrived in Delhi on Friday to co-chair the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Blinken's visit will give a further boost to the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

"A warm welcome to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken as he arrives in New Delhi to co-chair the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The visit will give a further boost to the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership!," Bagchi wrote on 'X'.

The US has said it supports India's emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in promoting a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The country said the US-India relationship is one of the most strategic and consequential of the 21st century, as per a fact sheet released by the US State Department.

The fact sheet said the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the US Secretaries of State and Defence and their Indian counterparts is the premier recurring dialogue mechanism between the United States and India.

"Through the 2+2 mechanism, US and Indian officials advance a wide range of initiatives across the breadth of the United States-India partnership," it said.

The US State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, while speaking on Blinken's visit to India, said: "India is a country that we have a deep partnership with. He (Blinken) will be going for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue along with Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin. So I expect, of course, that deepening this security cooperation in partnership, will be, one of the many topics that are discussed."

Earlier on Thursday, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit to attend the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. He was received by his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

The United States and India have established a strong defence industrial cooperation that looks at opportunities for co-development and co-production of important military capabilities for both our countries.

Earlier this year, the United States approved a pathbreaking manufacturing license for the co-production of GE F414 engines in India.

The United States and India have launched an educational series that prepares startups and young innovators to contribute to the defence industries in both countries. The United States and India also cooperate through the bilateral U.S.-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group and the Defence Policy Group.

The 2+2 dialogue will provide a platform for top-level discussions between the US and India, addressing critical bilateral and global matters, with special emphasis on developments unfolding in the Indo-Pacific region.

The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is a diplomatic summit held every year since 2018, with the Minister of External Affairs and the Defence Minister representing India while the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence representing the United States. The discussions centre on common issues of concern between the two countries.