WASHINGTON: India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue

WASHINGTON: India and the United States held a bilateral
2+2 Inter-sessional meeting at the official level on 1 September 2021 in
Washington DC. They reviewed progress made since the last 2+2 Ministerial
Dialogue in October 2020 and preparations for the forthcoming dialogue later
this year. The Indian delegation was led jointly by Ms. Vani Rao, Joint
Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Shri Somnath
Ghosh, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the Ministry of Defence.
The U.S. delegation was led by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific
Affairs Dr. Ely Ratner alongside Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for South and Central Asian Affairs in the Department of State Mr. Ervin
Massinga.

Both sides took stock of the progress and developments in the bilateral agenda
under the India-US strategic partnership, including defence, global public
health, economic and commercial cooperation, science and technology, clean
energy and climate finance, and people to people ties. They explored
opportunities for enhancing ongoing cooperation in these fields based on mutual
interests. Cooperation in contemporary areas such as space, cyber security and
emerging technologies was also discussed.

The officials had an opportunity to exchange assessments about recent
developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and Western Indian Ocean,
given their shared vision for peace, stability and prosperity and for a free,
open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They also considered possibility of
enhancing collaboration in areas of counterterrorism, HADR and maritime
security.

The two sides agreed to continue these discussions ahead of the 2+2 Ministerial
Dialogue scheduled for later this year.