January 30, 2021
2 mins read

Blinken, Jaishankar hold talks, reaffirm growing Indo-US ties

Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of working together to expand regional cooperation, including through the Quad, reports Arul Louis

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken “underscored India’s role as a pre-eminent partner of the US in the Indo-Pacific” during a discussion with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on expanding ties, a top official said here.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken called Jaishankar on Friday “to reaffirm the growing US-India partnership and discuss issues of mutual concern, including Covid-19 vaccination efforts, regional developments, and next steps in expanding bilateral ties”.

“Both agreed to coordinate closely on global developments,” he said.

Taking to Twitter following the talks, Jaishankar said: “Warm conversation with Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Congratulated him on his appointment. Look forward to working with him again. Agreed that we could build further on the solid foundation of our partnership. Also discussed our efforts at combating the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The two had worked together and met in New Delhi when Jaishankar was the Foreign Secretary and Blinken was the Deputy Secretary of State in 2015.

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar

Price said that they looked forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity.

During their conversation, Blinken also stressed the importance of working together to expand regional cooperation, including through the Quad, the spokesman added.

Quad is a group comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, which was revived with a boost from the administration of former President Donald Trump in 2017 as a bulwark of democracies against China’s growing aggression in the region.

Friday’s conversation comes after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Wednesday and discussed continuing close co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region and promoting regional security, according to the White House.

Earlier, Blinken had told the Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing that there would be a continuity in US relations with India which grew under the previous administration.

The US would continue “to make sure we were working with India so that no country in the region including China could challenge its sovereignty and also working with it on concerns that we share about terrorism”, he said.

Previous Story

Pak stresses need for closer ties with US

Next Story

Delhi IED blast: Cab identified, letter says it’s a ‘trailer’

Latest from -Top News

Trinidad Eager to Deepen Ties with India: Envoy

Trinidad and Tobago, home to a large Indian-origin population—many of whom are now in their fifth and sixth generations—offered a unique cultural resonance to the visit….reports Asian Lite News Prime Minister Narendra

Labour peer David Lipsey found dead

In the House of Lords, Lord Lipsey was known for his dedication to social justice and his commitment to improving the lives of others The Labour peer, Lord David Lipsey, has been

UK Space Agency set to clean up space debris

Efforts to clean up space debris mark a pivotal step in the UK’s efforts to protect vital space infrastructure and ensure the long-term safety of the orbital environment The UK Space Agency

UK shuts both its Afghan resettlement schemes

According to the Ministry of Defence, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy has fulfilled its initial objective of supporting Afghans who worked alongside the UK military The government has announced the closure
Go toTop