The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be visiting Washington for the 4th India-US 2+2 dialogue on April 11, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.

The US will be represented at the dialogue by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

The India-US 2+2 Dialogue will take place against the backdrop of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The dialogue will enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the Indo-US bilateral agenda relating to foreign policy, defence and security," MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at the weekly media briefing.

The objective is to provide guidance and vision for further consolidating the strategic relationship, he added.

"The 2+2 dialogue mechanism will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern," Bagchi said.

As part of the ongoing bilateral dialogue, EAM Jaishankar will also meet his US counterpart, Secretary of State Blinken.

He is also scheduled to meet senior members of the US administration to further advance the Indo-US global strategic partnership, the MEA Spokesperson said.

The last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries was held in October 2020 in New Delhi.

India has a ”2+2” format dialogue mechanism on strategic and security issues with four countries - US, Russia, Australia, and Japan.