Antony Blinken who is the US Secretary of State arrived in India on Tuesday as a part of his two-nation tour. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. Reportedly, he will hold talks with the External affairs minister S Jaishankar and further meet Ajit Doval, National security advisor (NSA).
Blinken’s visit to India is on the grounds of strengthening its bilateral ties and formulate plans on the evolving security situation in Afghanistan. He is also expected to look forward to expanding cooperation in the Indo- Pacific region within the framework of quad and coordinated COVID 19 response.
Prior to leaving for India, Blinken affirmed that he was looking forward to consultation with partners of the US for further cooperation in support of its shared interest in the Indo- Pacific and Middle East.
The US Secretary of State tweeted, “Wheels up for my trip to New Delhi and Kuwait City. I look forward to consultations with our partners to further cooperation in support of our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.”
Wheels up for my trip to New Delhi and Kuwait City. I look forward to consultations with our partners to further cooperation in support of our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East. pic.twitter.com/KClJ405LGI
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 26, 2021
After assuming office as the US Secretary of State, this is Antony Blinken’s first visit to India. In the past week, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed that Blinken’s visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership. It further added that both sides will review their robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relation and potential for consolidating them in the future.
Dean Thompson who is the acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs asserted that the discussions will be emphasized on stretching its ties in areas related to security, defense, cyber, and counterterrorism cooperation.
Furthermore, he added, “We collaborate across the government on these issues, including through regular US-India working group meetings, and we look forward to further strengthening our ties with India to ensure a safer and more secure world.”
