<p style=”margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;”><strong><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>Source – The Hindu</span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;”><strong><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>GS Paper – 2</span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></p>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>Context</span></span></b><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”> – </span></span><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”color:#282828″>In the run-up to the U.S.- India 2+2 foreign and defense ministers’ meeting this year, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is scheduled to visit New Delhi from October 12 -14.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><b><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”color:#282828″>2 + 2 talks</span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>It is a format of dialogue where the defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>India holds such talks with Japan and Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>India holds ministerial-level talks only with the US. Apart from India, the United States holds such ministerial dialogues with Australia and Japan also.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:8px”><span style=”font-size:15pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”color:#595959″><span lang=”EN-US” style=”font-size:14.0pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”>The talks were announced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump in June 2017. The “2+2” dialogue has replaced the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries that were held during the previous Obama administration</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
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