Washington, Apr 12 (PTI) Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra is here this week for a series of meetings with senior officials from the US Government and interaction with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas like defence and technology.
Kwatra held separate meetings with Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and Kurt Campbell, Deputy Secretary of State at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.
“Productive catch up with Indian Foreign Secretary Kwatra on advancing ongoing US-India cooperation and the need for our countries’ close partnership for regional security and prosperity,” Verma said in a post of X.
Earlier in the day, Kwatra was hosted by the US India Business Council over a breakfast meeting with its Board Chair and NASDAQ Executive Vice Chairman Ed Knight.
“They engaged in discussions on deepening investment channels, fostering innovation and technology, and strengthening the commercial ties between our countries,” the USIBC said in a post on X.
The visiting foreign secretary is meeting with officials from the various wings of the US Government, including the Department of Defence, the White House and the Department of Commerce.
The visit, which has been kept away from the glare of the media, comes in the middle of general elections in India and a week of hectic and intense diplomatic activities in Washington DC, in the Indo-Pacific region.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden hosted the historic trilateral summit with Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The summit gains significance amid an aggressive China in the Indo-Pacific region. A day earlier, Biden hosted Kishida for a State Dinner.
After the historic Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, there has been some unease in the bilateral relationship, particularly on the issue of the Sikh separatist movement in the US and the unusual statement by the State Department on the issue of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
India had strongly objected to such a comment from the State Department.
Department of Defence Press Secretary Maj General Pat Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon that India is a very important partner of the United States, and the relationship between the two countries continues to grow.
“We look very forward to continuing to work with India towards our shared values in the region of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Early this week, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Biden Administration is beginning a new chapter in US-India relations under its Major Defence Partnership.
“Our militaries are accelerating joint exercises, information-sharing, and other operational activities to boost maritime security in the Indian Ocean,” he said.
“By bolstering the Indian military’s capabilities, we can work together to uphold a more stable balance of power across the wider Indo-Pacific. We are committed to ensuring that the growing US-India partnership supports the efforts of our broader network of allies and partners, especially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States,” Austin said. PTI LKJ GRS AKJ GRS GRS
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