Indian External Affairs Minister Su Jaisheng held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken on Friday (28) in which both sides agreed to address the many challenges facing the region and around the world by working together with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and other agencies of the United Nations. Prior to that, S. Jaishon also held separate meetings with key members of the Biden administration, including Secretary of Defense Austin, National Security Advisor Sullivan, Trade Representative Dyche, and Director of National Intelligence Haynes, highlighting the warming and close relations between the U.S. and India.
S. Jaishankar, who began a four-day visit to the United States on May 24, held talks with Antony Blinken on May 28, according to the French broadcaster.
According to Blinken, who spoke to the press before the meeting, he was very pleased to meet with Secretary Sugarson in the U.S. “It’s great to have him here at the State Department, and it’s also very important because the U.S. and India are working together to address many of the most important challenges of our time.”
He said, “We will address many of the challenges we face in the region and around the world by working together with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and other agencies of the United Nations.”
Blinken emphasized that the partnership between the United States and India is vital and is strong and increasingly productive. As such, he was very pleased that Foreign Minister Sujetsen visited the U.S. “We had a lot to talk about, as we always do.”
Sujesen also said, “I’m very happy to be back. This is India’s first cabinet-level visit to the new administration, and I am happy to see my counterparts with whom I have worked for many years. We have a lot of issues to discuss.”
Sujesen added, “I think our relationship has gotten stronger over the years and I’m very confident it will continue to strengthen.” He also expressed gratitude for the strong support and solidarity of the United States at a time of great difficulty (the epidemic) for India.
According to a post-meeting tweet by Blinken, during the talks they spoke about regional security and economic priorities, including U.S. COVID-19 relief efforts, the India-China border situation and U.S. support for Afghanistan. He also reiterated that “as friends, we will work together to address these areas of mutual concern.”
In addition, earlier on the 28th, Sugarson also held talks with Lloyd Austin. According to Sugarson’s tweet, he and Secretary Austin “engaged in a comprehensive dialogue on further developing our strategic and defense partnership and exchanged views on contemporary security challenges.”
“Secretary Austin and Secretary Sugarson reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region and strengthening the key U.S.-India defense partnership,” a U.S. Department of Defense statement said. “They and discussed opportunities to deepen coordination in the event of a resurgence of the New Crown epidemic.”
Austin said he looks forward to hosting Secretary Sujesen and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in a 2+2 ministerial dialogue later this year.
According to a White House statement, Sook Jessen also discussed a range of regional and global issues with Jake Sullivan on the 27th, and the two sides agreed that the U.S. and India will continue to work closely together to address common challenges across the Indo-Pacific region.
He also had a good discussion with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, according to a tweet from Jason Su. He said, “Our trade, technology and commercial cooperation are at the heart of our strategic partnership and strengthening them is critical to post-epidemic economic recovery. Her proactive stance on intellectual property issues and support for an efficient and robust supply chain are welcome.”
Also photographed in the meeting with him was U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, according to a group photo uploaded by Sugarson during the meeting between the two teams. Sugarson said, “It was a pleasure to meet Director Haines. Looking forward to working closely to address contemporary security challenges, as well as to advance our strategic partnership.”
The over-the-top reception of Sujesen’s visit to the United States underscores the warming and closeness of U.S.-Indian relations. According to Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, those who met with Sujesen and his delegation at the Indian Embassy included senior officials from the White House, National Security Council, State Department, Treasury Department, Department of Energy, Agency for International Development, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Trade, Mission to the United Nations, National Science Foundation and Department of Defense.
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