India and US address Indo-Pacific and Gaza issues in recent Intersessional Dialogue

Indian and American officials held the US-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue on Monday, September 16, during which they discussed matters related to the Indo-Pacific region, Ukraine and Gaza, the State Department said.

The interaction, held in New Delhi, comes ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden.

The US delegation was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P. Royal, the State Department said.

The Indian delegation was co-chaired by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary for the Americas Nagaraj Naidu along with Indian Ministry of Defence Joint Secretary for International Cooperation Vishwesh Negi.

India and the U.S. held the 2+2 Intersessional today with officials from India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, and the U.S. State and Defense Departments.

Key discussions covered bilateral strategic and defense priorities, alongside regional and global issues. pic.twitter.com/ICtNkkLuS2

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 16, 2024

According to the State Department, the dialogue advanced shared priorities, including defence cooperation, space and civil aviation collaboration, clean energy cooperation, and industrial and logistics coordination.

“The officials discussed a range of issues, across the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, including support for a just and durable peace in Ukraine, as well as support for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” the State Department said.

Assistant Secretary Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Royal reiterated the United States’ commitment to further enhancing ongoing partnerships and expanding people-to-people ties, it added.