US State Secy Blinken, Defence Secy Austin To Visit India For 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue This Month

United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III will be visiting India this month for a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken (L) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III (R)

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The United States Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will travel to India to participate in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. He will be joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III and the delegation will meet with Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, and other senior Indian officials to discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific, the US Department of State said in a statement. Apart from India, Blinken will visit Israel, Jordan, Japan and the Republic of Korea from Nov 2-10.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Tel Aviv, Israel; Amman, Jordan; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK); and New Delhi, India November 2-10, 2023," the statement read.

The department said Secretary Blinken will lead the US delegations to Tokyo, Seoul, and New Delhi to "advance collaborative efforts to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region that is prosperous, secure, connected, and resilient."

The release said that Blinken would reiterate the US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism consistent with international humanitarian law and discuss efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, during is trip to Tel Aviv. He would also talk about work to secure the immediate release of hostages, increase the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians, and prevent the conflict from spreading.

In Jordan, according to the US State Department statement, Blinken would underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives and the shared commitment of the US and Jordan to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the resumption of essential services, and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza.

"He will also discuss urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric, reduce regional tensions, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to working with partners to set the conditions necessary for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East, to include the establishment of a Palestinian state," it read.

Full Statement