Blinken’s Five-Nation Tour to Culminate In India For 2+2 Dialogue This Month

New Delhi: The State Department announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit five countries, ending his trip in India for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November. Blinken’s itinerary includes Israel, Jordan, Japan, South Korea and India. Blinken will be joined by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in India. They will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other high-level Indian officials to talk about bilateral and global issues and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.

In Israel, Blinken will reaffirm US support for Israel’s right to self-defence against terrorism in accordance with international humanitarian law and discuss ways to protect US citizens in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, secure the immediate release of hostages, increase humanitarian aid to Gaza for Palestinian civilians and prevent the conflict from escalating, the statement said.

He will then go to Jordan, where Blinken will emphasise the importance of saving civilian lives and our shared commitment to increasing and maintaining the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, restoring essential services and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from Gaza.

He will also talk about urgent measures to stop violence, lower rhetoric, ease regional tensions and reaffirm the US commitment to working with partners to create the conditions for a lasting and sustainable peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state, the State Department added.

“Secretary Blinken will then lead US delegations to Tokyo, Seoul and New Delhi to enhance cooperative efforts to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region that is prosperous, secure, connected and resilient,” it added.

In Tokyo, Blinken will take part in the second G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of 2023, where G7 foreign ministers will follow up on the commitments made by leaders at the G7 Hiroshima Summit.

Blinken will also express his gratitude to Japan for its successful G7 presidency. The Secretary will also have bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko to discuss bilateral priorities, such as supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and energy needs and strengthening our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

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 how the United States and the ROK can address global challenges, such as Russia’s war against Ukraine and Russia’s increasing military cooperation with the DPRK, as well as instability in the Middle East. They will also discuss joint efforts to support bilateral investment and economic security.

“In Tokyo and in Seoul, the Secretary will reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to the defence of Japan and the ROK and reaffirm the importance of strong and continuous trilateral engagement following the historic Camp David Summit in August,” the State Department said.

It added, “The Secretary will then travel to New Delhi to take part in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III. The delegation will meet with Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh and other senior Indian officials to discuss both bilateral and global issues and developments in the Indo-Pacific”.