During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming visit to India beginning July 27, which will be his first as the top American diplomat, the US said it expects to discuss ways to “further deepen” bilateral ties, the Quad, Afghanistan, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will meet with Blinken on July 28. Later in the day, he departs for Kuwait. Blinken previously visited India in 2015 as the Obama administration’s deputy secretary of state.
“We expect the discussions to focus on ways to further deepen our bilateral partnership, which is very broad in scope, as well as increased convergence on regional and global issues,” acting assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia Dean Thompson told reporters, previewing Blinken’s visit.
On bilateral issues, the US expects the discussions to be focussed on “expanding our security, defense, cyber, and counterterrorism cooperation,” he said. More of that will be part of the upcoming 2+2 ministerial dialogue between foreign and defence ministers of the two countries later in the year.
Afghanistan will be a major topic of discussion in the region. Thomson described India as a “critical partner in the region,” adding, “We welcome India’s shared commitment to peace and economic development in Afghanistan.”
India is concerned about the Taliban’s rapid gains in Afghanistan as US-led international forces wind down their 20-year-old mission and leave, well ahead of a self-imposed September 11 deadline. According to the US military, the pullout is nearly complete, at around 92 percent.
The focus of Thompson’s talks with India will be on “how we can work together to realise” the goal of a peaceful and secure Afghanistan, as well as “finding ways to bring the parties together, and continuing to pursue a negotiated settlement to end the long-running war.”
The secretary’s discussions will include developments in the Indo-Pacific, according to a state department official, underscoring President Joe Biden’s importance for the region by convening a virtual summit of the Quad, which includes Australia, Japan, India, and the United States, just two months after taking office.
“We’re working with India and other friends and partners in the region to advance this shared vision of the Indo-Pacific,” Thompson said, adding, “Importantly, we’ll also discuss our health collaboration to combat Covid-19, including the Quad vaccine partnership that was first announced during President Biden’s Quad summit.”
At the summit, the Quad members announced a joint initiative to distribute 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region by the end of 2022, with funding from Japan and the United States, manufacturing by India, and distribution by Australia. India’s struggles with the second wave of Covid-19 cases have caused the rollout to be delayed.
Climate change will be at the forefront of Secretary Blinken’s discussions during the visit, as it is one of the most pressing global challenges on which the two countries collaborate.
“The partnership will reinforce our collective efforts to achieve both the goals of the Paris Agreement and our own ambitious 2030 targets for climate action and clean energy,” Thompson said, referring to the US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership launched in April.
