Washington: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has met senior executives of American aerospace and defence majors Boeing and Raytheon and asked them to take advantage of policy initiatives in India to steadily march from ‘Make in India’ towards ‘Make for the World’.
Singh along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in the US capital on Sunday to attend the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in Washington on Monday – the first under the Biden administration.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met with the US aerospace & defence majors Boeing and Raytheon after reaching Washington DC. He exhorted the companies to take advantage of policy initiatives in India to steadily march from ‘Make in India’ towards ‘Make for the World’, ” the Defence Ministry tweeted on Monday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will host Jaishankar and Singh for the 2+2 ministerial on Monday.
To be held under the shadow of the Ukrainian crisis, the 2+2 ministerial is reflective of the significance the two governments attach to this bilateral strategic relationship.
In fact, President Biden has signalled to elevate the 2+2 ministerial by himself having a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the White House on Monday.
The two Indian ministers along with their American counterparts are slated to participate in the virtual meeting from the White House.
The 2+2 ministerial along with the respective delegations would take place at the State Department on Monday afternoon.
The 2+2 Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Thursday.
“The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern,” it said.
The 2+2 Ministerial is an important opportunity to advance our shared objectives across the breadth of the US-India Strategic Partnership, the State Department said last week.
It is also a chance to highlight the growing Major Defence Partnership between the United States and India, it said on the importance of the meeting.
—PTI