Washington D.C, 12 April 2022 (TDI): The United States and India held a ministerial meeting under the 2+2 format.
The Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III of the United States met with their Indian counterparts, Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishanka and the Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh.
The meeting is designated as the Fourth Annual U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Previously, US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit.
Content of the Meeting
The Ministers reiterated the importance of the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership to international peace and security. Previously, officials from both countries participated in summits related to tackling COVID-19, climate change, infrastructure, and supply chain resilience.
One major purpose of the summit was to further the cooperation on the Indo-Pacific agenda and global cooperation.
Meanwhile, they also discussed briefly the war in Ukraine. They reviewed their response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its implications. Moreover, they pressed for an immediate end to the hostilities. Furthermore, the Ministers condemned civilian deaths. They highlighted that the contemporary global order is built on the UN Charter, respect for international law, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
In addition, the ministers recalled previous QUAD meetings and expressed their intent to continue working through the format. QUAD is an informal alliance of four states that coordinate their Indo-Pacific policy.
The Ministers reiterated their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. They further agreed to promote regional stability and prosperity based on an inclusive regional architecture, abiding by the rule of law, the freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, and centrality of the ASEAN. They also reiterated the importance of international law to meet challenges to the rules-based order.
The four officials also discussed situations in Afghanistan and Myanmar. Both nations signed a bilateral Space Situational Awareness arrangement.
Apart from Defense and Security, other discussion topics included climate, environment, clean energy, counterterrorism and counternarcotics, and education and people-to-people ties. Furthermore, the officials discussed global health, science, technology, cybersecurity, and space, mutual prosperity, innovation, and resilient supply chains.
