External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting the United States for the “2+2” dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on April 11 in Washington DC, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. The meeting will be held days after the U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh conveyed to the Indian side that there will be “consequences” for continuing energy trade in local currency with Russia in the backdrop of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.
“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 Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, announcing the visit.
The announcement from the U.S. State Department emphasised the role of democratic values and the expanding defence partnership between the two sides, covering areas like cyber security and public health, and said, “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.”
