India, US reaffirm commitment to free, open Indo-Pacific

New Delhi [India], April 12 (ANI): India and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific following the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in Washington. India and the US held the 2+2 ministerial meeting in Washington with the Indian side led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the American side led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.

In a joint statement on the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the ministers recalled the inaugural virtual Quad Leaders’ Summit in March 2021, the in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in September 2021 in Washington, and the February 2022 Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Melbourne. Both sides stated that they are “looking forward to the next Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo in 2022″. “The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states are respected, and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion,” underlined the joint statement.

They further reaffirmed their dedication to promoting regional stability and prosperity, with an inclusive regional architecture, abiding by the rule of law, the freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, and ASEAN centrality. The ministers also reiterated the importance of adherence to international law to meet challenges to the rules-based order, including in the South China Sea, the statement said.

The Ministers welcomed the progress made in the last year on developing a “positive and constructive agenda” for the Quad to deliver peace and prosperity to the region in pursuance of their shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. “The Ministers reiterated their commitment to take forward the initiatives announced by the Leaders, to empower the Quad as a force for global good for the Indo-Pacific region and welcomed ongoing discussions in the Quad Working Groups on vaccines, climate change, infrastructure, space, cyber security, and critical and emerging technologies for delivering practical and tangible benefits to the region,” the statement said.

Welcoming the remarkable progress made under the Quad Vaccine Partnership to augment the manufacturing capacity of the Biological E facility in India, supported by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Ministers committed to expedite the delivery of the first batch of vaccines to countries of the Indo-Pacific and beyond and to diversify the basket of vaccines in the context of changes in the global demand and supply landscape, the statement added. (ANI)

India, US to strengthen cooperation in fields of education, skill development

Lauding the vibrant linkages between the two countries, India and the US on Monday (local time) reiterated their support for further strengthening cooperation in the fields of education and skill development through joint collaborations. In a joint statement issued on the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin held on April 11 in Washington, the two sides also expressed their support to promoting student and scholar mobility to build people-to-people linkages between the two countries.

In line with this, the ministers announced the intent to establish a new India-US Education and Skills Development Working Group and also appreciated the contribution of the Fulbright-Nehru program in furthering the exchange of outstanding academics and professionals between both countries and the special role that the four million strong Indian-American diaspora play in deepening India-US relations.
Welcoming the resumption of regular air travel between the two countries and expressing hope that this would encourage tourism and business travel, the two sides acknowledged that the movement of skilled professionals, students, entrepreneurs, investors, and business travellers between the countries will play an important role in catalyzing innovation and economic opportunity.

India also welcomed the waiver, through December 31, 2022, of in-person visa interviews for applicants that were previously issued any type of visa and are now applying for certain nonimmigrant visa classifications, which include those for persons in the speciality occupation, academic and vocational students, and intracompany transferees. Underlining the importance of continued engagement on visa issues, the ministers welcomed the December 2021 meeting of the bilateral Consular Dialogue and resolved to continue efforts to facilitate the reciprocal movement of professionals, business persons, skilled workers, experts, and scientific personnel.

They also acknowledged the importance of continued discussions on a “Social Security Totalization Agreement” and welcomed the opportunity to further engage in pursuing such an agreement.
Both sides also looked forward to commencing a dialogue on contemporary issues related to women in the context of people-to-people linkages.

Recognizing the importance of protecting cultural heritage, the ministers committed to work toward negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding that will deepen cooperation in this area and assist authorities in combatting trade in cultural artefacts and facilitating their repatriation. The US thanked India for its support for the “Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)” missions in India and the ministers reiterated their commitment to future DPAA missions.

Notably, during the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the defence and foreign ministers of the two countries forged new and deeper cooperation across the breadth of the US-India partnership, including defence, science and technology, trade, climate, public health, and people-to-people ties. (ANI)