On Monday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs (EAM) S. Jaishankar landed in New York to discuss Covid-related cooperation between the two states during the US visit to the United States.
The India Ambassador to the UN, TS Tirumurti, received a visit to the United Nations Security Council by EAM Jaishankar on his first visit to New York.
“Privilege to receive External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on his first visit to New York after #India entered the UN #SecurityCouncil on 1 January 2021,” Ambassador Tirumurti tweeted.
The US visit to Jaishankar is scheduled to last until 28 May last week.
Foreign Minister Antonio Guterres was scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General in New York and then hold discussions in Washington DC with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the ministry said.
He will also be meeting Cabinet members and Senior Officials of the Administration dealing with the bilateral relationship. “External Affairs Minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic and Covid-related cooperation between India and the US,” said the ministry statement.
India has discussions with several United States companies that are involved in the production of covid vaccines and hopes to procure and produce these vaccines subsequently. During Jaishankar’s interaction with the US leadership and other stakeholders, the issue of vaccine procurement is likely to be a central agenda item.
In its inventory, the United States has already announced its distribution in countries in need of 80 million vaccines.
With India badly affected by the second vaccine wave, New Delhi’s efforts will focus on getting the most out of this and also on seeking linkages with Indian vaccine developers.
US has a stockpile 60 million Astra Zeneca vaccine doses and also Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines.
US is playing a lead role in assisting India’s fight against the Covid-19 virus. It has already provided large oxygen plants, concentrators, critical medicines like Remdesivir and also raw materials for vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII), which is manufacturing Covishield.
US is also backing India sponsored proposal on TRIPS waiver at the WTO.
The TRIPS waiver aims to increase global vaccine production in order to take on the challenge of vaccinating the poorest of the poor and save lives.
In October last year, India and South Africa and 57 WTO members proposed a waiver for prevention, containment, and treatment of coronavirus from some provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. At the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, at the beginning of May, Eam Jaishankar met his American counterpart Antony Blinken in London.
