JAISHANKAR HOLDS TALKS WITH U.S. UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday met US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and held discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation as also on the Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine situation. “Pleased to meet @UnderSecStateP. Good discussion on expanding our bilateral cooperation, on South Asia, Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine situation,” Jaishankar said in a tweet. Nuland is visiting Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka with an interagency delegation to underscore US commitment to, and cooperation with, Indo-Pacific partners.

Nuland and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had on Monday co-chaired India-US Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) and reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The two sides reviewed progress in various domains under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership following up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discussions with President Joe Biden in Washington in September 2021. Both sides welcomed regular high-level dialogue and engagement, including productive meetings of bilateral mechanisms which led to intensifying of cooperation across all pillars of bilateral agenda.

Ministry of External Affairs had said in a release that FOC provided a valuable opportunity to discuss contemporary regional issues pertaining to South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, West Asia, and the situation in Ukraine, among others.