S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India, arrived in Washington DC on Wednesday for a series of meetings with key officials in the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Jaishankar will meet with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as well as other key members of the Biden administration, during his three-day stay in Washington, DC. The discussion between the ministers, will centre on the progress made in bilateral relations in the first 100 days of the Joe Biden-led administration. The discussions will also lay the groundwork for US President Joe Biden’s second term.
However, the timing for a meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar has not been announced as of yet, as the US State Secretary is travelling in the Middle East to continue with the peace process in the wake of the Israel-Palestine conflict. “The secretary is meeting with the external affairs minister, will continue discussions that the two held in New Delhi in March and will continue the robust bilateral defence and security relationship between our two countries. We are looking forward to having him here at the Pentagon and hosting him for a good set of talks,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby informed in a press conference.
Jaishankar arrived in the United States on May 24 and will stay until May 28. This is the first visit to the United States by a senior Indian minister since President Biden took office in January.
The foreign minister visited New York before arriving in Washington, where he met with senior US officials and discussed Covid cooperation between the two countries.
On May 26, Jaishankar met with Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. During the meeting, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of finding “immediate and effective” global vaccine solutions, as well as “greater production” and “fairer distribution.”
Jaishankar also met with US National Security Advisor General (retd) HR McMaster later in the day. During the discussion, Jaishankar stated that there is a genuine understanding of the India-US relationship’s potential and what it can achieve.
He emphasises the fact that he has a “I think our relationship has come a long way,” Jaishankar said of the US-India relationship going forward. It’s now one of the world’s most important relationships, and my impression is that in Washington, there’s a real understanding of the relationship’s potential and what it can accomplish. This is also true in New Delhi “.
