India-US 2+2 dialogue: Rajnath Singh, EAM Jaishankar likely to be in Washington DC in April
In what could be a crucial meeting, considering the tensions in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, are likely to be in Washington DC for the 2+2 dialogue with their equivalents in the United States in the second week of April this year.
This is for the meetings with secretary of state Antony Blinken and the secretary of defence Lloyd Austin. Both Blinken and Austin were in India in 2020 for the 2+2 annual meeting, but because of Covid and other reasons, there was no 2+2 last year.
Dates were discussed last year and the United States preferred late November-early December, but Parliament came in the way. Two senior ministers, part of the cabinet committee on security, would have missed four-five working days.
The 2+2 meeting is often an opportunity for signing major agreements like the BECA or the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, which allows discussion of geospatial information. It is one if the three foundational agreements and all three are done. There is already discussion on the next big moment, particularly because the meeting wasn’t held last year.
India has 2+2 meetings with Japan, Australia and Russia. The meeting with the Russians is due in the summer months.
