The fifth India-US 2+2 Summit was held in New Delhi. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived for a two-day visit to attend the Ministerial Dialogue. This foreign and defence ministerial dialogue will expand both countries’ global strategic partnership.
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India-US 2+2 Summit
The fifth India-US 2+2 Summit plays a crucial factor in enabling India and the US to strengthen their partnership, taking cognisance of the political situations on both sides. There were discussions on tricky geopolitical moments like the Gaza crisis, the India-Canada relationship and the war in Ukraine and their benefits to both countries.
During the 2+2 Summit, India confirmed its position with the US on the emerging tensions and disturbances in the Middle East and called for de-escalation and expressed deep anguish over the civilian casualties.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the 2+2 Ministerial dialogue will enable checking the progress in various aspects involving defence and security, partnerships in technology and developing connectivity. The Ministers discussed the future roadmap for the India-US partnership under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden. The Summit had discussions on other issues as well as enhancing cooperation with multilateral frameworks like the Quad.
At the meeting, the Ministers were of the view that there has been substantial progress in the relationship of both countries which is thoroughly based on mutual trust, cooperation and understanding. The Ministers asserted the importance of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
As partners with a strong commitment to advancing democracy and promoting Human Rights, India and the US confirmed their strategy to develop a resilient, rule-based international order to ensure peace and prosperity for all. There were also conversations on the Ukrainian War, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. Both sides discussed the Ukrainian War and its consequences from a wider perspective. They discussed its impact on the global economic system mainly on the global south.
Israel-Hamas Conflict
The Ministers took note of the attacks against Israel and reiterated that both India and the US stand in solidarity with Israel against terrorism. They called for the protection of civilians and the release of all the hostages. They discussed providing Humanitarian assistance to meet the requirements of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Defence Partnership
The representatives of both nations confirmed their commitment to strengthen the defence partnership through various dialogues and military exercises. They vividly discussed various projects initiated under the June 2023 roadmap for the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation. Conversations were also held on collaborating in emerging aspects like space and artificial intelligence.
Both sides felt satisfied with the progress in the Maritime Domain Awareness and looked forward to addressing other maritime issues such as the undersea domain. The Ministers welcomed other partnerships under the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) which was launched in June 2023.
Counter Terrorism
The Ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism. India and the US reaffirmed their condemnation of the horrific 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the Pathankot attack and stressed bringing justice to the perpetrators of this violence. They called for stringent actions against all terrorists and the terrorist organisations listed by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jiash-e-Mohammed and others.
The Ministers emphasized taking action against financing terrorism, consistent with the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations. Both sides decided to start the 20th meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group and the 5th Designations Dialogue to combat terrorism.
The 2+2 Dialogue between India and the US started in 2018. This Summit replaced the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue which had originally started under the Obama Administration. The present 2+2 Summit is the result of the agreement between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Summit is essential for strengthening the bilateral ties of both nations.
