Secretary of State Antony Blinken will likely visit India on a two-day visit from July 27-28 to boost bilateral relations. During his tour, he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar, reports Business Standard.
Secretary Blinken and Dr Jaishankar have already met thrice over the last year, and it will be the second high-profile visit of a member from President Joe Biden’s administration to India.
Prior to this, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin visited India in March 2021 as part of the Quad and held a series of meetings and interactions on Indo-US strategic cooperation, defence sales and technology transfer, and Indo-Pacific strategy.
Blinken is most likely to discuss the COVID-19 situation, vaccines, and Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation following the withdrawal of American troops. China will also be discussed, since it is expected to be one of the main topics of conversation during his meetings with Indian officials.
Since 2014, India and the US bilateral relationship has been on an upswing with deeper engagement in multiple spheres, including defence and foreign policy matters.
(with inputs from Business Standard)
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.