Set for a diplomatic rendezvous, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are poised to co-chair the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue this Friday.
Austin is scheduled to touch down in New Delhi on Thursday for a two-day visit.
Upon his arrival, the Defense Secretary will be greeted with a Tri-Service Guard of Honour at the Palam Technical Area, showcasing the ceremonial significance of this diplomatic engagement.
Following this, a bilateral meeting between Austin and Rajnath Singh is on the agenda, where discussions spanning strategic, defense, and technology issues are expected to take center stage.
The India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is not limited to the defense realm alone, as it will also witness the participation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his American counterpart Antony Blinken.
This multilateral engagement underscores the collaborative efforts between the two nations in navigating a spectrum of critical issues, solidifying the diplomatic ties that bind India and the United States.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry, the 2+2 "will enable a high-level review of progress being made in cross-cutting aspects of defence and security cooperation, technology value chain collaborations and people-to-people ties".
"The Ministers will take the opportutnity to progress the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden, in their discussions in June and September this year," the Ministry said in a statement.
It further said that Blinken and Jaishanakr will also take stock of "contemporary regional issues and exchange views about shared priorities for augmenting cooperation in multilateral platforms, and through frameworks such as Quad".
(With Agency Inputs)
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