US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defence
Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit to Bharat for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue
with their Indian counterparts External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi this month, said the State Department.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken’s
trip to Bharat comes at the end of a more than a week-long trip – November 2 to
November 10 – beginning with Israel and Jordan, following which he would
continue with his Indo-Pacific travels to Japan, S Korea and Bharat.
The exact dates of his trips to these countries have
not been announced. In New Delhi, the US delegation will participate in the 2+2
Ministerial Dialogue.
“The delegation will meet with Minister for External
Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, and other senior
Indian officials to discuss both bilateral and global concerns and developments
in the Indo-Pacific,” Miller said.
Blinken is leaving for Tel Aviv on Thursday.
“In Israel, Blinken will reiterate US support for
Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism consistent with international
humanitarian law and discuss efforts to safeguard US citizens in Israel, the
West Bank, and Gaza, work to secure the immediate release of hostages, increase
the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza for distribution
to Palestinian civilians, and prevent the conflict from spreading,” Miller
said.
In Jordan, he will underscore the importance of
protecting civilian lives and their shared commitment to facilitating the
increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to
civilians in Gaza, the resumption of essential services, and ensuring that
Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza.
“He will also discuss urgent mechanisms to stem
violence, calm rhetoric, reduce regional tensions, and reaffirm the US
commitment to working with partners to set the conditions necessary for a
durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East, to include the establishment
of a Palestinian state,” Miller said.
Blinken will then lead US delegations to Tokyo, Seoul,
and New Delhi to advance collaborative efforts to support a free and open
Indo-Pacific region that is prosperous, secure, connected, and resilient.
In Tokyo, he will participate in the second G7 Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting of 2023, where G7 foreign ministers will build on the
commitments made by leaders at the G7 Hiroshima Summit. Secretary Blinken will
also thank Japan for its successful G7 presidency.
Blinken will also have bilateral meetings with Prime
Minister Kishida Fumio and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko to discuss bilateral
priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and energy needs
and strengthening their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, Miller said.
Blinken will then travel to Seoul to meet with
President Yoon Suk Yeol, Foreign Minister Park Jin, and National Security
Advisor Cho Tae-yong.
“The Secretary will discuss ways United States and the
ROK can respond to global challenges, including Russia’s war against Ukraine
and Russia’s growing military cooperation with the DPRK, as well as instability
in the Middle East. They will also discuss mutual efforts to support bilateral
investment and economic security,” he said.
“In Tokyo and in Seoul, the Secretary will underscore
the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defence of Japan and ROK and
reaffirm the importance of robust and sustained trilateral engagement following
the historic Camp David Summit in August,” Miller said.
PTI
