India-US 2+2 Dialogue | Biden Believes US Ties With India One Of Its Most Important Relationships: WH

The Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security

File Photo: US President Joe Biden with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

New Delhi: Praising the ties with India, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that President Joe Biden believes that the US-India partnership is the most important relationship the United States has in the world.

Speaking ahead of the India-US 2+2 dialogue scheduled under the Biden administration next week, Psaki said the President expects that the dialogue will continue driving forward US' work with India and shared goals in Indo-Pacific region, according to news agency ANI report.

Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III has called upon Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh in an enhanced honour cordon ceremony at the Pentagon on Sunday. Both nations will hold the 2+2 dialogue between defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and their respective American counterparts on Sunday.

The EAM, who will be on a two-day US tour between April 11-12, will meet his counterpart, Secretary of State Blinken separately and also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to advance India-US strategic global partnership, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed during a briefing.

Why is the India-US 2+2 dialogue significant?

"President Biden believes our partnership with India is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. As you know, he met with Prime Minister Modi and other Quad leaders in March. He expects that at this 2+2, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin will continue driving forward our work with India and our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world," she said in a statement.

"The Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and a vision for further consolidating the relationship," a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said.

"The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern," the statement added, as per ANI report.

The 2+2 Ministerial is aimed at strengthening shared objectives across the breadth of the US-India Strategic Partnership, including enhancing our people-to-people ties and education cooperation, building diverse, resilient supply chains for critical and emerging technology, scaling up climate action and public health cooperation, and developing a trade and investment partnership to increase prosperity for working families in both countries, the US noted in a statement.

Moreover, dialogue will also focus on the growing major defence partnership between the US and India. "The relationship between the world's largest democracies is built on a foundation of common values and resilient democratic institutions, and the shared Indo-Pacific interests of a rules-based international order that safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity, uphold human rights and expands regional and global peace and prosperity."