NEW DELHI: Ahead of 2+2 dialogue between the two states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph R. Biden of the US will hold a virtual meeting on Monday April 11, the Ministry of External Affairs and the White House confirmed.
The two leaders will take a stock of bilateral cooperation and discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as well as countering the climate crisis, strengthening the global economy, and upholding a free, open, rules-based international order to bolster security, democracy, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, a release from the White House reads.
“President Biden will continue our close consultations on the consequences of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine and mitigating its destabilising impact on global food supply and commodity markets,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated.
“The virtual meeting will enable both sides to continue their regular and high-level engagement aimed at further strengthening the bilateral Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” MEA stated in a release.
President Biden and PM Modi last conversed with each other and other Quad leaders in March. The virtual meeting between President Biden and PM Modi will precede the US-India 2+2 Ministerial dialogue wherein External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin of the US government.
Speaking to The New Indian on the implications of 2+2 dialogue, Professor Harsh V Pant of Kings College London said that the forum will provide an opportunity to India and the US to work out some “evident difference” and take forward their relationship in defence and other areas. Pant is an acclaimed Strategic Affairs expert and Professor of International Relations.
“It’s very important for India and the US, especially at a time when differences are emerging on Ukraine. It will be an important opportunity for India and the US to get an assessment of the global order from each other and also to take relations forward on defence and foreign policy issues in a manner that responds to the challenges that two nations are facing,” Pant said.
“The 2+2 format underscores the partnership the US shares with very few countries. Despite some evident differences, it is an important indicator that two nations consider each other (important) for their national security imperatives,” he asserted.