New Delhi: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III will be in India next week for the 5th annual 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue that will focus on enhancing defence partnership between the two countries and building consensus on policies at the global level.
The delegations will discuss both “bilateral and global concerns” and developments in the Indo-Pacific region, a statement by the US State Department said.
Sources in the defence and diplomatic establishment said a number of key issues will come up for discussion. On the defence front, the areas of focus will be the ongoing negotiations for the transfer of jet engine technology that will power the Tejas Mk 2 fighters, besides a deal for the MQ9B drones to arm the Indian military.
Other projects up for discussion include the deal for jointly manufacturing M777 howitzers and armoured personnel carriers.
On the diplomacy front, discussions will range from the increasing belligerence of China to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, to the ongoing conflict involving Israel, Hamas, Russia and Ukraine.
“Secretary Blinken will then lead U.S. delegations to Tokyo, Seoul, and New Delhi to advance collaborative efforts to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region that is prosperous, secure, connected, and resilient,” the US State Department statement said.
The fourth 2+2 dialogue was held in April 2022 in Washington. In that meeting, delegations discussed the Indo-Pacific partnership, India’s UN Security Council term (2021-22), the resilience of supply chains, negotiations on six nuclear reactors in India, and space, health and defence cooperation between the two countries.
The inaugural 2+2 ministerial dialogue was hosted by India on 6 September, 2018, when then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis.
The 2+2 format was launched, “as a reflection of the shared commitment by Prime Minister Modi and President Trump to provide a positive, forward-looking vision for the India-U.S. strategic partnership and to promote synergy in their diplomatic and security efforts,” the inaugural joint statement had said.
The second dialogue was held on 19 December 2019 and the third was on 27 October 2020. No dialogue happened in 2021.
Blinken’s five-nation Asian tour
Blinken will be travelling to five countries in nine days, including Israel, Jordan, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Blinken’s tour starts with a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel. Here the secretary of state will reiterate US’s support for Tel Aviv to defend itself against terrorism “consistent with international humanitarian law,” the statement said. Blinken will also be discussing efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, and work on securing the release of hostages and increasing the volume of aid to the Palestinians in Gaza.
Blinken’s next stop is Amman, Jordan, where “the Secretary will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives and our shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the resumption of essential services, and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza”.
“He will also discuss urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric, reduce regional tensions, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to working with partners to set the conditions necessary for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East, to include the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the statement added.
In Tokyo, Blinken will attend the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting of 2023, building on the commitments made by the G7 leaders during the Hiroshima summit earlier this year.
“The Secretary will also have bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko to discuss bilateral priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and energy needs and strengthening our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific,” the statement added.
His final stop before New Delhi will be Seoul where Blinken will meet President Yoon Suk Yeol, Foreign Minister Park Jin, and National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong. In Seoul, Blinken will discuss Russia’s increasing military cooperation with North Korea and the instability in the Middle East.
“In Tokyo and in Seoul, the Secretary will underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defence of Japan and ROK and reaffirm the importance of robust and sustained trilateral engagement following the historic Camp David Summit in August,” the statement read.
Edited by Tikli Basu
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