AMN / WEB DESK
A US delegation led by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and also featuring Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J Austin III, will arrive in New Delhi next week for the 22 Ministerial Dialogue. The dialogue will provide a platform for top-level discussions between the US and India, addressing critical bilateral and global matters, with special emphasis on developments unfolding in the Indo-Pacific region.
US State Secretary Blinken and Defence Secretary Austin will meet with their Indian counterparts, Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar and Minister of Defense, Rajnath Singh, as well as other senior officials. The discussions are expected to encompass a wide spectrum of issues, including strengthening bilateral relations, addressing global concerns, and promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
As part of his ninth official visit to the Indo-Pacific region, Secretary Austin will travel to India to meet with his counterpart, Minster of Defence, Rajnath Singh, to discuss expanding defence industrial cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and advancing innovation through the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). The Secretary and Minister Singh will also participate in the fifth 22 Ministerial Dialogue alongside Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar. Following the Ministerial, Secretaries Blinken and Austin will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India and the US have been holding these dialogues for further strengthening their strategic ties and this would be the fifth edition of these parleys. India and the US recently agreed to a USD 3 billion deal for supplying 31 MQ-9B Predator drones to Indian defence forces.