India to host inaugural 2+2 Dialogue with US in September 2018

India is going to host inaugural 2+2 Dialogue with United States in September 2018 in New Delhi. In the inaugural meeting, Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will host US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis.

Key Facts

The inaugural meeting will cover broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues of shared interest, with a view to strengthening strategic and security ties between the two countries. Both nations will discuss strengthening of strategic, security and defence cooperation as both nations have committed to jointly address challenges in Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The dialogue is seen as vehicle to elevate strategic relationship between the two countries.
Note: The inaugural 2+2 dialogue was scheduled to be held in July 2018, but was postponed at last moment by US citing “unavoidable reasons”. It was third time that 2+2 dialogue was postponed in the last six months.

2+2 Dialogue

2+2 Dialogue between India and US was agreed during visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to US in June, 2017. It is similar to India-Japan 2+2 dialogue format between foreign and defence secretaries and ministers of the two countries. It replaces earlier India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
The dialogue s aimed enhancing strategic coordination between both countries and maintaining peace and stability in Indo-Pacific region. It puts strategic, defence and security relationship between two countries at forefront and centre stage.
It insulates India-US strategic relationship from feuds over trade issues and deep divide on economic integration policies as trade and commercial issues that collided with strategic relationship between both countries’ discussed in Strategic and Commercial Dialogue earlier.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2018