New Delhi, India

On Friday (November 10), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India ahead of the so-called "2+2" ministerial dialogue that begins today. Before the high-level ministerial dialogue, he held talks with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

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2+2 talks 

Blinken arrived in India on Friday ahead of talks which, as per officials, would not be about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, but would focus on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific and concerns over China.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will also take part in the "2+2" ministerial dialogue that begins Friday. India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also be part of the discussions. These will be the fifth edition of the talks to further the India-US futuristic roadmap for deeper strategic cooperation.

The talks, as per ANI news agency citing officials, will pick up the threads from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June visit to Washington and US President Joe Biden's trip to New Delhi for the G20 summit in September. As per the Indian Defence Ministry, several strategic defence and technology issues are expected to be discussed at the 2+2 dialogue and during the bilateral meeting between Singh and Austin.

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"The ministers will take the opportunity to progress the futuristic roadmap for the India-US partnership as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph Biden, in their discussions in June and September this year," said the MEA.

(With inputs from agencies)