India-US Defence Cooperation 'Rock Solid Support' To Bilateral: Defence Secy

New Delhi: The India-US 2+2 Dialogue holds “great significance” against the backdrop of a “volatile” global scenario, said Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, while emphasising the critical role of the meeting in exploring avenues for “upholding international law” and providing “humanitarian assistance”. He also said that the India-US partnership is of utmost importance to peace and stability in the immediate neighbourhood, but also to the connected regions.

The India-US defence cooperation has become a “rock solid support” to the bilateral relations between the two countries, Aramane added. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, addressed the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in the national capital.

At the dialogue, Austin said the India-US Defence partnership has made tremendous forward strides in the past year, including the US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap. The Defence Secretary of India, while addressing a media briefing following the dialogue, underscored the “potential collaboration” in emerging domains for civilian commercial use as well as for strategic use, which was also a topic of common interest.

“In essence, the defence cooperation has become a rock-solid support for the bilateral relations between the two countries. The potential collaboration in emerging domains for the civilian commercial… How the defence industries can intersect each other’s interests and promote each other in this particular context of strong bilateral ties was also a matter of great focus,” he said.

“This 2+2 is a continuation of the important steps taken during that visit…Especially in the regional and global scenario, when the situation is very volatile, the visit of the dignitaries from the US is of great significance. It affords an opportunity to review the security and see how the upholding of international law and humanitarian assistance can be looked at very closely and in a mutually comfortable fashion,” stated Defence Secretary Aramane.

He also recalled PM Modi's visit to US in June earlier this year, which led to new initiatives between the two countries and called the 2+2 dialogue, a “continuation of important steps” taken during that visit.

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