NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to New Delhi next week for the ‘2+2’ meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The meeting is likely to take place on November 9th.
"During the interactions, Secretary Blinken and Austin will discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific," said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Jaishankar met with Secretary Blinken in the US in September.
In the 2+2 meeting, the talks will be centred around the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the unfolding humanitarian crisis there as well as upcoming elections in Bangladesh where the US has special interest. There will be discussions on China too, say sources.
There is a possibility of Canada too being discussed in the talks as there has been a lot of speculation on what the US had to say on the accusation made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The 2+2 meeting comes ahead of the Quad Summit that will be hosted by India. There is speculation on whether the Quad Summit will be held in Delhi on January 27.
The possibility of the Quad being held in January – which is primarily subject to President Biden’s confirmation too will be a part of the discussions.
The 2+2 ministerial dialogue is the highest level of stock taking between India and the US which includes a range of issues from defence deals, visas, cyber security, health, geopolitics and diplomacy. It has been held every year since 2018.
Secretary Blinken will travel to Tel Aviv, Amman, Tokyo and Seoul before he comes to Delhi.
"In Israel, Secretary Blinken will reiterate US support for Israel to defend itself against terrorism in keeping with international humanitarian law and discuss efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel. They will discuss the immediate release of hostages and increase the pace of humanitarian assistance in Gaza," Miller said.
Blinken will also be visiting Jordan, where he will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives and their shared commitment to facilitating the sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensuring that Palestinians aren’t forcibly displaced out of Gaza.
“Secretary Blinken will also discuss urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric, reduce regional tensions and reaffirm the US’s commitment to working with partners to set the conditions necessary for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East including the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Miller added.
The 2+2 ministerial dialogue is a diplomatic meeting that has been held every year since 2018, between ministers of foreign affairs and defence of India and the U.S.