The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said on Thursday that representatives of India would discuss 'a variety of issues' with the US during the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on Friday.
At a regular press briefing, Bagchi said, "The 2+2 is tomorrow. The US Secretary of Defence has just landed and we are expecting the Secretary (of State) later in the evening... Considering the nature of our relationship and the global strategic partnership, a variety of issues can be discussed including topical issues, regional developments... On Canada, if they wish to discuss we are happy to discuss all issues..."
This comes as US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a two-day trip ahead of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will reach India tomorrow to co-chair the dialogue alongside Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is a diplomatic summit held every year since 2018, with the Minister of External Affairs and the Defence Minister representing India and the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence representing the United States.
India's diplomatic spat with Canada
India and Canada engaged in a diplomatic standoff after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that hat he has "credible information" about India's link with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Ministry of External Affairs had rejected the claims and said Ottawa did not proffer any "proof" that could ascertain the Canadian PM's claim.
After the expulsion of diplomats from both countries, India briefly cancelled visa services for Canadian nationals and asked the Canadian embassy to minimise the diplomatic presence as it considers Ottawa had many staff whose roles were questionable.
Canada has evacuated its 41 diplomats and 42 other members of the staff from India after New Delhi said that it would revoke their diplomatic immunity. Canadian Prime Minister Melanie Joly called the act a violation of international law, which was subsequently rejected by India.
India later resumed visa services in Canada for four categories - Entry visa, Business visa, Medical visa and Conference visa. Trudeau had clarified that he was not trying to provoke New Delhi but rather wanted his Indian counterpart to address the issue properly. "The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," news agency Reuters quoted the Canadian PM as saying.
Notably, the US has repeatedly asked India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation behind Nijjar's killing. Last month, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "I will let the Indian government speak for themselves and I will speak for the United States government, and we urge that cooperation."
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