On Thursday (local time), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar met and decided to keep collaborating on defence, space, and clean energy projects. The diplomatic dispute between India and Canada over the death of a terrorist-separatist from Khalistan was not mentioned.
Following his discussion with Blinken, the external affairs minister also declared that New Delhi will host the fifth iteration of the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
The meeting will take place, according to a report from the news agency PTI, in the first half of November. The US delegation will be headed by Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin, while the Indian delegation will be led by Rajnath Singh, the Indian defence minister, and Jaishankar.
When they gathered at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters for the meeting, Jaishankar informed Blinken, "I actually look forward to seeing you in Delhi for the 2+2."
"It gives me great pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Jaishankar back to Washington and to the State Department. Blinken welcomed Jaishankar and added, "We've had very productive discussions over the previous several weeks - of course in the G20, in New York at the General Assembly - and I'm looking forward to pursuing them this afternoon.
Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 28, 2023
A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments.
Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon. pic.twitter.com/mOw9SIX1dO
The external affairs minister is currently visiting Washington, DC, on a five-day business trip. After the recent G20 Summit in New Delhi, this is their first encounter.
The US Secretary of State, @SecBlinken, was a pleasure to meet today at the State Department. An extensive debate that follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in June. additionally traded notes about world events. Immediately laid the foundation for our 2+2 discussion," Jaishankar wrote on his blog after his encounter.
Both diplomats spoke about a wide range of topics, according to State Department spokeswoman Matthew Miller. This included the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and other significant results of India's G20 chairmanship.
Prior to the next 2+2 Dialogue, "the Secretary and the External Affairs Minister also stressed the continued importance of cooperation, in particular in the areas of defence, space, and clean energy," Miller stated.
Jaishankar also spoke with Katherine Tai, a US trade representative, and Jake Sullivan, a US national security adviser.
No Reference to Canada
During their meeting, there was no mention of the recent diplomatic row between India and Canada over the June 18 murder of Sikh separatist-terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that the Indian government was responsible for Nijjar's death. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist. The claims made by Canada have been deemed "absurd" and "motivated" by India.
When speaking to reporters, Blinken declined to answer inquiries about the diplomatic crisis and Nijjar's murder.
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