New Delhi: Indian and US officials convened in New Delhi on Monday to hold the eighth 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue to discuss opportunities to expand collaboration. The dialogue advanced shared priorities, including defence cooperation, space and civil aviation collaboration, clean energy cooperation, and industrial and logistics coordination, according to the US Department of State.
The discussions were held between Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for the Americas Nagaraj Naidu and Ministry of Defense Joint Secretary for International Cooperation Vishwesh Negi with US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P Royal.
The officials discussed a range of issues, across the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, including support for a just and durable peace in Ukraine, as well as support for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Lu and Royal reiterated the US commitment to further enhancing ongoing partnerships and expanding people-to-people ties.
The Intersessional today laid the groundwork for the next 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, a key platform through which the United States and India continue to advance their Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. This came more than 10 months after the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The meeting took place in November last year, where the ministers noted the substantial progress in transforming India-US relations across domains, based on trust and mutual understanding. Building upon the June 2023 and September 2023 visits of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden, the Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in ensuring international peace and security, according to the MEA.
The ministers also underlined their strong commitment to safeguarding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific through mechanisms like the Quad. As natural and trusted partners with a shared commitment to advance democracy, human rights, and pluralism, and a growing convergence of strategic interests, India and the United States reaffirmed their resolve to promote a resilient, rules-based international order with respect for international law, including the UN Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure peace and prosperity for all.
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