US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in New Delhi on Thursday at midnight to attend the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. He is also going to co-create this high-level meeting.#WATCH | U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrives at Delhi airport.He will take part in the 5th India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. pic.twitter.com/HBu1mwJjsd— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2023The top US diplomats arrival was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, who welcomed Blinken to India and also said that the top diplomats visit would 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 wrote on X.A warm welcome to US Secretary of State @SecBlinken as he arrives in New Delhi to co-chair the 5th 🇮🇳-🇺🇸 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.The visit will give further boost to 🇮🇳-🇺🇸 Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership! pic.twitter.com/8zY3qCIeF6— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) November 9, 2023 US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in India Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit to attend the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue earlier on Thursday. Llyod was received by his Indian counterpart Rajmath Singh at the airport.Austin was also given a guard of honour as a mark of respect for visiting US Secretary of Defence. Wheels up at @Andrews_JBA en route to India, the Republic of Korea and Indonesia, the Defence Secretary posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). My 9th visit to the Indo-Pacific comes as the US, along with our allies and partners, continue to make historic progress toward a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, he added.The two US diplomats will be meeting their Indian counterparts Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, as well as other senior officials in this forum. Indo-US meeting The topics of discussion will include incorporating a wide range of issues, including strengthening bilateral relations, addressing global concerns, and promoting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is a diplomatic summit held every year since 2018, with the Minister of External Affairs and the Defence Minister representing India the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence representing the United States.The discussions centre on common issues of concern between the two countries. (With ANI inputs)
