Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue

Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue

THE NEWS



In an attempt to promote synergy in their diplomatic and security efforts, India-US welcomed the launch of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi in which both countries resolved to continue meetings in this format on an annual basis.


All YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIA-US MINISTERIAL 2+2 DIALOGUE

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• The '2+2' dialogue is a meeting between the India Ministers for External Affairs and Defence, and the US Secretaries of State and Defense.
• This '2+2' dialogue was meant to replace the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries that were held during the previous Obama administration.
• Focus Area: It is to focus on “strengthening strategic, security and defence cooperation” between the two countries. At the ministerial level, it was the first time that India held a‘2+2’ dialogue with any country.
• Major Commitment: The Ministers reaffirmed their view that India and the United States, as sovereign democracies founded on the values of freedom, justice,and commitment to the rule of law, must continue to lead global efforts to promote peace, prosperity,and security.
  • The Ministers from both countries committed to work together on regional and global issues, including in bilateral, trilateral and quadrilateral formats.
  • They also decided to establish secure communication between the Minister of External Affairs of India and the U.S. Secretary of State and between the Minister of Defence of India and the U.S. Secretary of Defense, to help maintain regular high-level communication on emerging developments.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AREA OF COOPERATION BETWEEN INDIA AND US



Strengthening the Defense and Security Partnership: The Ministers have reaffirmed the strategic importance of India’s designation as a Major Defense Partner (MDP) of the United States.

• The US also committed to expand the scope of India’s MDP status and take mutually agreed upon steps to strengthen defence ties further and promote better defence and security coordination and cooperation.
Enhancing Trades: They welcomed the inclusion of India by the United States among the top tier of countries entitled to license-free exports, re-exports,and transfers under License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization (STA-1).
• They also committed to exploring other means to support further expansion in two-way trade in defence items and defence manufacturing supply chain linkages
Defence Cooperation: The two sides committed to the creation of a new, tri-services exercise and to further increase personnel exchanges between the two militaries and defence organizations.
• Signing COMCASA: They welcomed the signing of a Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate access to advanced defence systems and enable India to optimally utilize its existing U.S.-origin platforms.
  • The Ministers also announced their readiness to begin negotiations on an Industrial Security Annex (ISA) that would support closer defence industry cooperation and collaboration.
• Maritime Domain: The Ministers reviewed the recent growth of bilateral engagements in support of maritime security and maritime domain awareness and committed to expanding cooperation.
  • The Ministers committed to starting exchanges between the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the Indian Navy, underscoring the importance of deepening their maritime cooperation in the western Indian Ocean.
• Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI): The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to continue to encourage and prioritize co-production and co-development projects through the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) and to pursue other avenues of defence innovation cooperation.
  • In this regard, they welcomed the conclusion of a Memorandum of Intent between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Defence Innovation Organization – Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX).
Strengthening the Defense and Security Partnership: The Ministers have reaffirmed the strategic importance of India’s designation as a Major Defense Partner (MDP) of the United States.
• The US also committed to expand the scope of India’s MDP status and take mutually agreed upon steps to strengthen defence ties further and promote better defence and security coordination and cooperation.
Strengthening the Defense and Security Partnership: The Ministers have reaffirmed the strategic importance of India’s designation as a Major Defense Partner (MDP) of the United States.
• The US also committed to expand the scope of India’s MDP status and take mutually agreed upon steps to strengthen defence ties further and promote better defence and security coordination and cooperation.
Combating Terrorism: Both the sides welcomed the expansion of bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation. The ministers also announced their intent to increase information-sharing efforts on known or suspected terrorists and to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2396 on returning foreign terrorist fighters.
• They committed to enhancing their ongoing cooperation in multilateral fora such as the UN and FATF. They reaffirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that will advance and strengthen the framework for global cooperation.
• The Ministers welcomed the launch of a bilateral dialogue on the designation of terrorists in 2017, which is strengthening cooperation and action against terrorist groups, including Al-Qaida, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul Mujahideen, the Haqqani Network, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, D-Company, and their affiliates.
• The two sides further reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing and future cooperation to ensure a stable cyberspace environment and to prevent cyber-attacks.
Partners in the Indo-Pacific and Beyond: Both sides committed to work together and in concert with other partners toward advancing a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, based on recognition of ASEAN centrality and on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, rule of law, good governance, free and fair trade, and freedom of navigation and overflight.
• Noting the importance of infrastructure and connectivity for the Indo-Pacific region, both sides emphasized the need to work collectively with other partner countries to support transparent, responsible and sustainable debt financing practices in infrastructure development.
People-to-People Ties: Observing the strong ties of family, education and business and the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation that unite their people, the Ministers highlighted the unmatched people-to-people ties between their countries and recognized the benefits to both nations.

CONCLUSION



From providing border technologies to expanding the cooperation on watch-listing and intelligence exchanges, to enhancing US technical support to Indian Defence system, there is wide scope to partner on common counter-terrorism objectives.

As bothsides welcomed the ongoing exchanges between the Ministry of Commerce of India and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, this view will give mutually acceptable outcomes in near future.

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