US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday met external affairs minister S Jaishankar ahead of the annual “two-plus-two” talks. Jaishankar highlighted.
The importance of Blinken’s visit, emphasizing the need to follow up on the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and US President Joe Biden in September.
Jaishankar said, “This visit has a particular significance because we need to follow up on PM Modi’s June visit and President Biden’s September visit. This is a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, so we take a broader view of what we are doing.”
He underscored the comprehensive nature of the discussions, particularly the Indo-Pacific as members of the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) and ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling it a “big concern”.
Blinken arrived in New Delhi late Thursday from South Korea, the latest leg of a marathon trip that has included a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan and a whirlwind tour of the Middle East.
Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will join Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh for the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, which will focus on “defence and security cooperation”.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) 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 said in a social media post on X.