Indo - US 2+2 dialogue

• India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Monday (April 11) and exchanged views on the current global situation and discussed bilateral cooperation.
• Jaishankar and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are in the United States for the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue which was held on Monday.

Key highlights of the Dialogue

• On Russia - Ukraine issue
  • Both countries called for the de-escalation of the Russia-Ukraine situation and progressing toward a path of peace.
  • India has sent medicines and other relief materials to Ukraine and other neighbouring nations and will continue to do so whenever required.
• India's position on buying Russian oil
  • Defending India's position on buying Russian oil, India's external affairs minister said: "We buy some energy necessary for our energy security. But I suspect, looking at figures, our purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon."
  • US said energy imports from Russia are not banned and India is not violating US sanctions.
  • Imports from US are already significant, much bigger than India gets from Russia.
• India intent on buying the S-400 missile defence system
  • Amid sanctions on Russia, Blinken said the US administration still has "not made determination of potential sanctions or waivers under CAATSA law".
• On Pakistan
  • Both sides urged Pakistan to take immediate, sustained, and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist attacks.
• US to stand by India
  • Austin assured India that the US will continue to stand by it in the face of threats from China.
  • Austin hailed the India-US 2+2 dialogue and said that they were meeting "at a critical moment in the US-India defence partnership".
• On Military-to-Military engagements
  • Both sides reviewed Military-to-Military engagements, information sharing, enhanced logistics cooperation & ability of Armed Forces to cooperate closely under compatible communication arrangements.
• On defence partnerships
  • Underlined the need of co-development, co-production between India & US companies & invited US companies to India for manufacturing & maintenance of defence equipment.
• On global scenario
  • They also committed to continue cooperation – bilaterally and multilaterally – on the Covid-19 pandemic, strengthening global health security, advancing global food security, and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.

‘2+2’ Dialogue

• They are a dialogue between two appointed ministers from each country. This meeting aims to discuss issues of strategic and security interests between the two countries.
• Defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.
• India holds such talks with Japan and Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level.
• India holds ministerial-level talks only with the USA. Apart from India, the United States holds such ministerial dialogues with Australia and Japan also.
• The talks were announced in June 2017. The 2+2 dialogue has replaced the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries that were held previously.

Conclusion

• India-USA’s national security convergences have grown closer in a more multipolar world and the meetings as well as the agreements not only advance their individual interests but also ensure that the bilateral cooperation between them makes a positive contribution in the world arena.

Exam Track

Prelims Takeaway

• 2+2 dialogue
• Earlier editions
• Major agreements signed

Mains Track

Q. The 2+2 dialogue held on April 11 is taking the test of the time in a scenario when the world is dishevelled with the Russo-Ukraine crisis and post - COVID recovery. Explain how this dialogue can prove to be a gamechanger in Indo- Russia relations dynamics.