India and the US of Friday discussed efforts to counteract “recent destabilising actions” in South Asia - a reference to Chinese aggression along the border in Ladakh - and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
“The two sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues, including combating Covid-19, counterterrorism, India’s membership on the UN Security Council, support for good governance and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region, and efforts to counteract recent destabilising actions in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region,” the state department said in a release on the intersessional meeting of the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
The 2+2 is a format of dialogue established between the defence and foreign ministers or secretaries of the two countries.The third annual minister-level meeting is scheduled for later this year.
Chinese aggression along the border has figured in India-US talks and discussions frequently, and it has been strongly condemned by the Trump administration as well as lawmakers from both parties.
The US officials pledged to continue working with their Indian counterparts to advance the US-India partnership for the benefit of both countries, the region, and the world and “looked forward to preparing for the ministerial dialogue later this year,” said the US statement issued after the virtual meeting on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The US officials pledged to continue working with their Indian counterparts to advance the US-India partnership for the benefit of both countries, the region, and the world and “looked forward to preparing for the ministerial dialogue later this year,” said the US statement issued after the virtual meeting on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}Officials from the two sides welcomed the opportunity to discuss the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, noting increased closeness and cooperation across bilateral ties, the department said.
They also “agreed to further strengthen” consultations through United States-India-Australia-Japan Quadrilateral, or Quad, mechanism.
The US underscored the importance of India’s status as a Major Defence Partner, growing military-to-military cooperation, and other defence priorities, the state department added.
The US side was represented by principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson and principal deputy assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs David Helvey. The Indian delegation was led jointly by Vani Rao, joint secretary (Americas) in the external affairs ministry and Somnath Ghosh, joint secretary (international cooperation) in the defence ministry.