India-US 2+2 dialogue: See you in Washington, says new US Defence Secretary to Rajnath Singh

During his first telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today, General (Retd.) Lloyd Austin, recently appointed defence secretary by the US President Joe Biden, looked forward to the next two plus two dialogue between the two countries. This invitation was unofficial, but Secretary Austin made it clear he looked forward to having Defence Minister Singh in Washington DC. The two plus two also involves the US Secretary of state and the Indian external affairs minister. This next meeting will be in Washington DC. The last meeting, late last year took place in Delhi, when US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and secretary of defence, Mark Esper, flew in despite the Covid problem. The two plus two is part of the special strategic relationship between the two countries. Secretary Austin assured Defence minister Singh that his government’s relationship with India on defence issues will remain strong. There was no direct reference to China during the conversation, but Secretary Austin spoke about the coming together of regional powers in the Asia-Pacific in recent weeks. The United States of America, Japan, Australia and India recently took part in the Malabar naval exercise and in a Quad meet. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was looking forward to good ties with the new administration. Secretary Austin is a retired four-star general. He is the first African American to be defence secretary of the United States of America.