NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US opened a new chapter in the India-US relationship.
Hailing the India-US ties, Jaishankar in his opening remarks said that the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue would be an opportunity to advance the vision of the leaders of the two nations.
“The highlight this year was the PM Modi’s state visit to the United States in June. It has opened a new chapter in our relationship. US President Joe Biden’s visit to Delhi in September contributed immensely to the positive trajectory of our ties. His support was key to ensuring productive outcomes at the G20 summit. The dialogue today will be an opportunity to advance the vision of our respective leaders,” Jaishankar said.
“In the 2+2, we will undertake a comprehensive overview of cross-cutting strategic, defence, and security ties, technology and supply chain collaborations and people-to-people exchanges … Our trade is today in excess of $200 billion … 2,70,000 Indian students study in the United States, and we have a diaspora of 4.4 million. A key focus of our discussions today will be the Indo-Pacific region … ,” he added.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who arrived in Delhi on Thursday night, said that the two countries are deepening their people to people ties.
“We’re harnessing together the power of innovation to make our economies more resilient and to make our communities more secure while expanding inclusive economic opportunity. That’s evident in the cooperation on semiconductors and advanced biotechnology, on our unprecedented investments in deploying clean energy at scale in our countries as well as across the region, and our joint research and exploration projects in space” Blinken said in his opening remarks.
“Finally, we’re deepening the remarkable ties between our people, which is really at the heart of everything. Exploring new educational exchanges, even building steps to facilitate travel between our countries, reducing visa wait times … When Indians and Americans study together, work together, and collaborate together, the possibilities for progress are infinite,” he added.
Calling defence one of most important pillars of the India-US bilateral relationship, Rajnath said India-US partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
“The India-US bilateral relationship has seen a growing convergence of strategic interests and enhanced defence, security and intelligence cooperation. Defence remains one of the most important pillars of our bilateral relationship. Your visit to India is at a time when India and US are closer than ever before,” he said.
Rajnath’s US counterpart Lloyd Austin noted that India and the US over the past year have made ‘impressive gains’ in building a defence partnership. In his opening remarks at the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Austin said, “We are meeting at a time of great momentum. The US and India partnership in the face of urgent global challenges, it’s more important than ever that the world’s two largest democracies exchange views, find common goals, and deliver for our people. We’ve made impressive gains in building our major defence partnership over the past year, and that will help us contribute even more together to the cause of peace and stability.”
US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin arrived in the national capital earlier on Thursday and was welcomed at the airport by Rajnath Singh. All four leaders posed for the traditional family photo as the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue got under way in Delhi.
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. The discussions centre on common issues of concern between the two countries.
– With inputs from agencies
Watch “Strongest bilateral partnership we’ve ever had…” Blinken lauds India-US ties ahead of 2+2 dialogue
Hailing the India-US ties, Jaishankar in his opening remarks said that the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue would be an opportunity to advance the vision of the leaders of the two nations.
“The highlight this year was the PM Modi’s state visit to the United States in June. It has opened a new chapter in our relationship. US President Joe Biden’s visit to Delhi in September contributed immensely to the positive trajectory of our ties. His support was key to ensuring productive outcomes at the G20 summit. The dialogue today will be an opportunity to advance the vision of our respective leaders,” Jaishankar said.
“In the 2+2, we will undertake a comprehensive overview of cross-cutting strategic, defence, and security ties, technology and supply chain collaborations and people-to-people exchanges … Our trade is today in excess of $200 billion … 2,70,000 Indian students study in the United States, and we have a diaspora of 4.4 million. A key focus of our discussions today will be the Indo-Pacific region … ,” he added.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who arrived in Delhi on Thursday night, said that the two countries are deepening their people to people ties.
“We’re harnessing together the power of innovation to make our economies more resilient and to make our communities more secure while expanding inclusive economic opportunity. That’s evident in the cooperation on semiconductors and advanced biotechnology, on our unprecedented investments in deploying clean energy at scale in our countries as well as across the region, and our joint research and exploration projects in space” Blinken said in his opening remarks.
“Finally, we’re deepening the remarkable ties between our people, which is really at the heart of everything. Exploring new educational exchanges, even building steps to facilitate travel between our countries, reducing visa wait times … When Indians and Americans study together, work together, and collaborate together, the possibilities for progress are infinite,” he added.
Calling defence one of most important pillars of the India-US bilateral relationship, Rajnath said India-US partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
“The India-US bilateral relationship has seen a growing convergence of strategic interests and enhanced defence, security and intelligence cooperation. Defence remains one of the most important pillars of our bilateral relationship. Your visit to India is at a time when India and US are closer than ever before,” he said.
Rajnath’s US counterpart Lloyd Austin noted that India and the US over the past year have made ‘impressive gains’ in building a defence partnership. In his opening remarks at the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Austin said, “We are meeting at a time of great momentum. The US and India partnership in the face of urgent global challenges, it’s more important than ever that the world’s two largest democracies exchange views, find common goals, and deliver for our people. We’ve made impressive gains in building our major defence partnership over the past year, and that will help us contribute even more together to the cause of peace and stability.”
US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin arrived in the national capital earlier on Thursday and was welcomed at the airport by Rajnath Singh. All four leaders posed for the traditional family photo as the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue got under way in Delhi.
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. The discussions centre on common issues of concern between the two countries.
– With inputs from agencies
Watch “Strongest bilateral partnership we’ve ever had…” Blinken lauds India-US ties ahead of 2+2 dialogue