India-US 2+2 dialogue in November: Shringla

The fourth annual 2+2 dialogue between India and the US would be held in November this year in Washington, according to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. Shringla, who arrived in Washington on a three-day visit on Wednesday following his successful trip to New York, said: "We used this opportunity to have the 2+2 inter-sessional meeting at the joint secretary level.

“We’re looking at the 2+2 which will happen in November. The exact dates are not yet worked out,” Shringla told a group of Indian reporters at the conclusion of his visit. During his stay in Washington, Shringla held meetings with top officials of the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry is also scheduled to visit India soon, Shringla said. India and the US on Friday reaffirmed the strength of their defence relationship underscoring their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific region as Shringla met Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Colin H Kahl. They also discussed Afghanistan and a range of regional issues of shared interest and key areas of defence cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and western Indian Ocean region.

Modi’s US visit in late Sept

A visit by PM Modi to the US later this month is likely to depend on the finality over hosting of the first in-person summit of the Quad leaders by the Biden administration, people familiar with the development said on Saturday.