India, US to hold first '2+2 dialogue' on September 6

After getting deferred twice, India-US inaugural 2+2 dialogue is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 6.

In a statement, the US State Department said, "The United States is pleased to announce that the inaugural US-India 2+2 Dialogue will be held in New Delhi, India, on September 6."

Notably, the high-level meeting will take place between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with their American counterparts US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis

According to the US State Department, both the country's will "discuss strengthening strategic, security, and defense cooperation as the United States and India jointly address challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond."

This new dialogue format is in pursuit of the agreement reached between India and the U.S. during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington D.C. on 25-26 June 2017.

The 2+2 meeting will cover a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues of shared interest, with a view to strengthening security ties between the two nations.

--ANI