Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin To Visit New Delhi Next Week For ‘2+2’ Dialogue

Relevance: GS2 - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

(Source: The Hindu, 11/03/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the U.S. Government announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinked and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are scheduled to visit New Delhi in November for the 2+2 Summit.
• The meeting is expected to include discussions on both bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific as well as the reform of multilateral institutions.

What is the agenda of the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense's visit to India?

• The two U.S. officials will visit India for the fifth edition of the “2+2” dialogue between India and the U.S.A.
• They will meet with their counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, to discuss India and the U.S.A.’s bilateral and global concerns and developments in the Indo-Pacific.
• They are also scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Other topics of discussion

• Israel-Palestine conflict: The conflict between Israel and Palestine and the high death toll is likely to be a subject of discussion as the U.S. contributes military aid to the Israeli forces.
• India and the U.S. share similar aims of preventing the escalation of the conflict and ensuring the stability of the Middle East region.
• The two countries are also likely to discuss the “two-state solution”.
• Ukraine invasion: The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is another major topic as India has remained strategically neutral on the matter despite advocating for a ceasefire
• Rift in ties with Canada: The meeting is the first since the souring of diplomatic relations between India and Canada over allegations of India’s involvement in the death of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• The U.S.A. will have to adopt a balanced approach since Canada is a close ally and partner in the Five Eyes alliance while India is a critical element for the U.S.A’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
• China and South Asia: The officials will discuss the recent developments in the South Asian region which are of concern to both countries.
• The election of Mohamed Muizzu as President of the Maldives is a major concern for both India and the U.S.A. as he is likely to loosen ties with India and get closer to China.
• The U.S.A. and India have also differed in their approach to the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh and the conduct of upcoming elections in 2024.
• Events in neighborhood countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bhutan could also be discussed.
• Reform of multilateral institutions: One of India’s priorities as President of the G-20 was the reform of multilateral bodies.
• India is likely to seek the U.S.’s support for a permanent seat in the UNSC and an overturning of a Western bias at most multilateral institutions.
• Democracy and human rights: Officials have claimed that the two countries will also discuss ways to advance democracy and human rights.
• Both countries have earlier clashed on the Indian government’s track record against minorities with India terming it to be vote bank politics by the U.S.A.
• New sectors of cooperation: The Summit will also include discussions on expanding cooperation between the two countries in new and critical sectors such as clean energy, counterterrorism, artificial intelligence, space, and semiconductors.

Cooperation in the Defense sector

• The 2+2 Summit is likely to continue negotiations on the implementation of the road map for U.S.-India Defence Industrial Cooperation, which was initiated at an earlier meeting in September.
• India and the U.S.A. have been negotiating the Security of Supply Arrangement and the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement.
• India has already expressed interest in purchasing 31 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from the U.S.A.
  • Both countries have expressed hope of finalizing the deal by February 2024.
• The countries are also likely to advance discussions on the co-production of defense equipment.
  • This is in line with India’s ambition to become self-reliant in manufacturing, particularly in the defense sector.
  • The U.S.A. will seek military hardware cooperation and India will seek high-end technology sharing for developing indigenous weapon systems.
• They will also coordinate on expanding defense industrial cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and advancing innovation through the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X).

What is the 2+2 Summit?

• The 2+2 dialogue format involves a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers of India and its allies on strategic and security matters.
• A 2+2 ministerial dialogue allows the partner countries to understand and appreciate each other’s strategic concerns and sensitivities including political factors in order to build a stronger and more integrated strategic relationship.
• India’s 2+2 partners: QUAD partners - The USA, Australia, Japan - and Russia.
• The US is India’s oldest and most important 2+2 talks partner with countries holding talks since 2018.
• India and Japan held their first 2+2 talks in 2019.
• India held 2+2 talks with Australia for the first time in 2021.
• 2+2 talks were first held between Russia and India in 2022

What is the significance of the 2+2 Summits between India and the U.S.A?

• The India-U.S.A. 2+2 Summit is a reflection of the shared commitment of both countries towards positive and forward-oriented strategic partnership.
• It aims to build greater synergy in the diplomatic and security initiatives of the two countries.
• The 2+2 Summit has produced meaningful outcomes for India.
  • Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA): It was signed in 2016 and aims to provide mutual logistics support around the world
  • Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA): It was signed after the first 2+2 dialogue in 2018, and aims to facilitate communication between the weapons platforms of the two armed forces.
  • Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA): It was signed in 2020 and aims to provide Indian military systems with a high-quality GPS to navigate and missiles with real-time intelligence to precisely target enemies.
  • The three Agreements form the troika of “foundational pacts” for deep military cooperation.
• India and the U.S.A. are interested in enhancing cooperation to counter the increasing aggressiveness of China which poses a security threat to India and its neighborhood as well as the U.S.A.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: What is "Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)", sometimes seen in the news? (UPSC 2018)

(a) An Israeli radar system

(b) India's indigenous anti-missile Programme

(c) An American anti-missile system

(d) A defense collaboration between Japan and South Korea

Question: Consider the following statements:

1. COMCASA allows the US to provide India with its encrypted communications equipment and systems.
2. LEMOA allows the two militaries to access supplies, spare parts, and services at each other’s bases.
3. BECA allows India to use US geospatial intelligence and enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones.

How many of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) Only 1 statement

(b) Only 2 statements

(c) All 3 statements

(d) None of the above