Jaishankar, Rajnath to participate in India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington

New Delhi, April 7, 2022

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation to the Fourth India-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue to be held in Washington, DC, on April 11.

The US delegation will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

"The Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship. The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern," a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs said.

As part of the ongoing and regular dialgoue, Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh will also meet their respective counterparts separately.

Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet senior members of the U. S. Administration to further advance the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

In Washington, the spokesperson for the Department of State said this year's Dialogue would celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirm the importance of the U.S.-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 release said.

The release said the 2+2 Ministerial was an important opportunity to advance their shared objectives across the breadth of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership, including enhancing their 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 is also a chance to highlight the growing Major Defense Partnership between the United States and India.

"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," the release added.

NNN