Anthony Blinken meets EAM Jaishankar ahead of annual 2+2 talks
Jaishankar expressed his gratitude to the US govt and President Biden for their support in the recently concluded G20 summit
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar ahead of the annual 2+2 talks during which Jaishankar highlighted the importance of Blinken’s visit, emphasising the need to follow up on PM Modi’s visit in June and President Biden’s visit in September. Jaishankar said, “This visit has a particular significance because we need to follow up on PM Modi’s June visit and President Biden’s September visit. This is a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, so we take a broader view of what we are doing.”
Jaishankar called the current conflicts in West Asia ‘deeply concerning’ and emphasised on the comprehensive nature of discussions in the Indo-Pacific as members of the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue). He also expressed his gratitude to the United States government and President Biden for their unconditional support to India during the recently concluded G20 summit. “We had a very successful G20 Summit in September, and I do want to thank you, the US government, and President Biden on behalf of Prime Minister Modi, because I think without the strong support which the US gave us, I don’t think we would have got the consensus and the outcomes that we did,” said Jaishankar.
Blinken expressed his pleasure at being in India and stressed the strengthening of ties between the two nations. “It is always wonderful to be here in India. We are building a remarkable year of engagement…We have not only the strongest bilateral partnership we’ve ever had, but also a regional one, and indeed, a global one that was further evidenced by India’s leadership for the G20 this year,” said Anthony Blinken.
Giving importance to the shared focus on the Indo-Pacific, Blinken emphasised the urgency of US-India collaboration in the region. “We have a lot to do, including with our defence colleagues. I think it’s further evidence of our resolute focus for the United States on the Indo-Pacific, our region for the future, the future is actually now, and we’re building it together with India.”
Blinken arrived in India late Thursday afternoon from South Korea in the latest leg of his marathon trips which covered major nations of the Middle-East and a G-7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Blinken’s visit will give a further boost to the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. “A warm welcome to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken as he arrives in New Delhi to co-chair the 5th India-US 2 2 Ministerial Dialogue. The visit will give a further boost to the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership!,” Bagchi said in a post on X.
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