Addressing the World Economic Forum, Secretary Blinken highlighted that discussions between India and the United States consistently emphasize the importance of democracy and human rights.
Tag: Antony Blinken
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EAM Jaishankar to meet US Secretary Blinken amid India-Canada diplomatic row
By PTI
WASHINGTON: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Thursday, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada stirred over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
Although officials from both sides are tightlipped about the agenda of the meeting, the latest diplomatic crisis between two of America’s friends, its traditional ally Canada and India, is expected to come up prominently during the talks.
“I don’t want to preview the conversations he (Blinken) will have in that meeting (with Jaishankar), but as we’ve made clear, we’ve raised this; we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
Miller was responding to questions about the meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department here on Thursday afternoon (which is about mid-night local India time). The two leaders are expected to pose for pictures ahead of the meeting and are not expected to take any questions from the media.
ALSO READ | US ‘deeply concerned’ by Trudeau’s allegations against India: Blinken
While the meeting between the two top diplomats was scheduled much before the Canadian crisis broke out, the US has been urging India to cooperate in the Canadian investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia early this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official.
India has also asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.
OPINION | The Canadistan conundrum: Whose hand is it anyway?
Miller said that the issue did not come up for discussion in New York during the Quad ministerial that involved foreign ministers of the US, India, Japan and Australia.
“It was a meeting of a number of countries and it did not come up in that meeting. But we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this issue and urged them to fully cooperate with the Canadian investigation,” the State Department spokesperson said.
Jaishankar arrived in the American capital from New York after attending the annual General Assembly meetings of the United Nations on Tuesday.
In addition to his meeting with Blinken, the external affairs minister is expected to have a series of meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration, review the progress made between the two countries after the historic State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and talk about other regional and global issues.
The minister is also expected to engage with the diaspora and think-tank community and interact with leaders from the corporate sector.
WASHINGTON: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Thursday, amid the diplomatic rumpus between India and Canada stirred over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
Although officials from both sides are tightlipped about the agenda of the meeting, the latest diplomatic crisis between two of America’s friends, its traditional ally Canada and India, is expected to come up prominently during the talks.
“I don’t want to preview the conversations he (Blinken) will have in that meeting (with Jaishankar), but as we’ve made clear, we’ve raised this; we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Miller was responding to questions about the meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department here on Thursday afternoon (which is about mid-night local India time). The two leaders are expected to pose for pictures ahead of the meeting and are not expected to take any questions from the media.
ALSO READ | US ‘deeply concerned’ by Trudeau’s allegations against India: Blinken
While the meeting between the two top diplomats was scheduled much before the Canadian crisis broke out, the US has been urging India to cooperate in the Canadian investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia early this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official.
India has also asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.
OPINION | The Canadistan conundrum: Whose hand is it anyway?
Miller said that the issue did not come up for discussion in New York during the Quad ministerial that involved foreign ministers of the US, India, Japan and Australia.
“It was a meeting of a number of countries and it did not come up in that meeting. But we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this issue and urged them to fully cooperate with the Canadian investigation,” the State Department spokesperson said.
Jaishankar arrived in the American capital from New York after attending the annual General Assembly meetings of the United Nations on Tuesday.
In addition to his meeting with Blinken, the external affairs minister is expected to have a series of meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration, review the progress made between the two countries after the historic State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and talk about other regional and global issues.
The minister is also expected to engage with the diaspora and think-tank community and interact with leaders from the corporate sector.
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EAM Jaishankar dials US Secretary of State Blinken to discuss regional and global issues
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, spoke over the phone with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Sunday discussing global and regional matters.
“A warm conversation as always with Secretary Blinken. We discussed current regional and global issues and noted the steady progress in our bilateral ties,” the External Affairs Minister tweeted.
A warm conversation, as always with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken this morning.Discussed current regional and global issues. Noted the steady progress in our bilateral ties.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 16, 2023
Earlier in March, both leaders held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi. They had discussed measures to mitigate the global impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During the meeting, Blinken spoke to Jaishankar and shared his views on tackling global and regional challenges. In a statement, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken met with Jaishankar to discuss how India and the US can expand technology and defence cooperation and increase food energy, and health security.
Jaishankar had just concluded his visit to Uganda and Mozambique on Saturday, while Blinken completed his first visit to Vietnam, where he spoke about the US’s commitment to elevate the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and work together towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The US has always spoken about strengthening the Indo-Pacific with India as a steady partner. With the Chinese built up around Taiwan and US’s constant support to Taiwan tension is building up around that area.
Meanwhile, Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific Coordinator of the US National Security Council, on Saturday, talked about strong people-to-people ties between India and the US. He said that the relations between the two nations will get better in the future.
“There is no stronger people-to-people ties between any country that the US enjoys with India. We have built a stronger relationship and the situation will only get better, it will get stronger and deeper,” Campbell said while addressing a gathering of hundreds of Indian Americans at an event organised by the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C.
(With inputs from ANI)
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, spoke over the phone with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Sunday discussing global and regional matters.
“A warm conversation as always with Secretary Blinken. We discussed current regional and global issues and noted the steady progress in our bilateral ties,” the External Affairs Minister tweeted.
A warm conversation, as always with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken this morning.
Discussed current regional and global issues. Noted the steady progress in our bilateral ties.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 16, 2023
Earlier in March, both leaders held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi. They had discussed measures to mitigate the global impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During the meeting, Blinken spoke to Jaishankar and shared his views on tackling global and regional challenges. In a statement, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken met with Jaishankar to discuss how India and the US can expand technology and defence cooperation and increase food energy, and health security.
Jaishankar had just concluded his visit to Uganda and Mozambique on Saturday, while Blinken completed his first visit to Vietnam, where he spoke about the US’s commitment to elevate the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and work together towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The US has always spoken about strengthening the Indo-Pacific with India as a steady partner. With the Chinese built up around Taiwan and US’s constant support to Taiwan tension is building up around that area.
Meanwhile, Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific Coordinator of the US National Security Council, on Saturday, talked about strong people-to-people ties between India and the US. He said that the relations between the two nations will get better in the future.
“There is no stronger people-to-people ties between any country that the US enjoys with India. We have built a stronger relationship and the situation will only get better, it will get stronger and deeper,” Campbell said while addressing a gathering of hundreds of Indian Americans at an event organised by the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C.
(With inputs from ANI)
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2022, a historic and remarkable year for India-US relations
By PTI
WASHINGTON: The year 2022 has been a remarkable and historic year for the India-US relationship, top diplomats and experts from both sides feel and are confident that 2023 would be a momentous year for the ties between the world’s largest and oldest democracies that will determine the future of technology and innovation.
During the year, President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice – first on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo in May and second on the margins of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here in September and held productive discussions on the entire gamut of Indo-US relations and the way forward.
“2022 saw further consolidation of the India-US bilateral partnership in the direction and vision set by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden,” India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, told PTI as the year comes to an end.
The intensity of high-level engagements continued in the form of Quad and Bilateral Summits in Tokyo, the 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC, and visits by senior members of the Cabinet in both directions, he said.
The year also saw the resolution of some old market access issues, the first-ever maintenance of a US Naval Ship in India, the Quad focus on STEM, the signing of an Investment Incentive Agreement, the launch of Technology Innovation Hubs as a collaboration of the respective science agencies, record level of trade and investments, etc, said Sandhu. “Our strategic convergences deepened, new initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) were launched while others such as I2U2 were strengthened,” Sandhu said in response to a question.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu concurred with Ambassador Sandhu’s take on the bilateral ties, saying that he believes that the India-US relationship is one of the most consequential relationships in the world. This relationship, he asserted, will determine whether Asia remains free and democratic. “It will determine the future of technology and innovation. And increasingly, it will determine whether we will be successful in combating climate change,” he said.
“This has been a remarkable and historic year for our relations,” Lu told PTI in response to a question.
“We have successfully worked in both countries to move beyond the acute phase of COVID-19 and supported millions of people around the world with innovative vaccines,” he said.
“We have worked together in the Quad to launch the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and the Partnership for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. We launched the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment which is working to support entrepreneurship and mentoring of women business leaders,” he said.
Observing that the bedrock of this relationship has always been the people-to-people relationship, the senior American diplomat said more than 1 million people travel back and forth each year between the two nations. “This year we had a record number of Indian students studying in the United States, nearly 200,000. Our bilateral trade this year is on track to exceed last year’s record of USD 157 billion. This has been a very good year indeed,” Lu said.
OPINION | Quad spreads its wings, but how high can it soar?
According to Mukesh Aghi, president, and CEO of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum, 2022 was “a momentous year” for US-India relations, as the two nations celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations.
These 75 years symbolized a long journey that had humble beginnings from the Cold War era, long before India’s own economic growth story, he noted. Today, the relationship, which has been dubbed as the most important strategic partner of the 21st century, has moved long beyond symbolic platitudes between the world’s oldest and largest democracy to robust engagements across trade, defence, climate, and technology, Aghi said.
Despite the pandemic, the bilateral trade between India and the US crossed the USD 100 billion mark in 2021, and in 2022, official figures state that the overall US-India bilateral trade in goods and services reached a record USD 157 billion, a drastic increase from the 2020 trade figures, he said.
“The year 2022 has seen deep collaboration between various ministries and not just between the key principals and the Foreign Minister and Secretary of State. On the finance side, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to India and meeting with her counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. On the energy front, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri recently worked with his counterpart, Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm on the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, and of course Minister Piyush Goyal and USTR Katherine Tai are in regular conversations on trade,” Aghi told PTI.
Next year is going to take the relationship to a new level.
“As we usher in 2023, I am confident that the bilateral relationship would cement even further to address the challenges of tomorrow, continuing to be a partnership for global good. India’s G-20 Presidency and the commonalities that India’s priorities as President have with the US will also be a significant factor in this,” Sandhu told PTI when asked about the India-US relationship in 2023.
Excited about what lies ahead in 2023, Lu said India has the G20 presidency for the first time, and the United States looks forward to working closely with India at all levels of government in support of this important position.
PHOTOS | Indo-US joint military exercises in full swing; kites and dogs get trained, too
“This year we plan to move forward on intensive collaboration in the defence and clean energy fields. We have committed ourselves to support Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India efforts through more co-production of cutting-edge defence technologies in India,” Lu told PTI.
“We are also working to provide the technology and financing to support the Prime Minister’s vision of 500 gigawatts of installed non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. We are collaborating in solar, wind, civilian nuclear, green hydrogen, and thermal energy projects. Together we can change the planet,” he said.
“I am bullish about prospects for cooperation in the year ahead,” Lu said.
In the year 2023, Aghi said the Russia-Ukraine conflict will continue to dominate global affairs as both Washington and New Delhi along with their G20 partners work to secure and prevent escalating energy prices and the shortage arising from food grains.
There is also room for synergy not just in tech but space collaboration, as India and the US both have scientific prowess and with increased privatization and a growing list of unicorns in India, space tech startups will be a new engine of economic growth and scientific synergy, he said.
“Most importantly, in 2023, India will be the President for the G20 summit. India’s G20 Presidency propels its role as an emerging leader in the global scenario. The leadership also gives a stronger voice to the challenges faced by the developing world as New Delhi leads the way with its increasingly growing economy,” he said.
“India has already outlined priorities for G20 2023 pertaining to climate action, critical and emerging technologies, resilient supply chains, and vaccines. New Delhi can strive towards building an inclusive ecosystem with holistic mechanisms to address key global issues for the private sector,” Aghi said.
WASHINGTON: The year 2022 has been a remarkable and historic year for the India-US relationship, top diplomats and experts from both sides feel and are confident that 2023 would be a momentous year for the ties between the world’s largest and oldest democracies that will determine the future of technology and innovation.
During the year, President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice – first on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo in May and second on the margins of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here in September and held productive discussions on the entire gamut of Indo-US relations and the way forward.
“2022 saw further consolidation of the India-US bilateral partnership in the direction and vision set by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden,” India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, told PTI as the year comes to an end.
The intensity of high-level engagements continued in the form of Quad and Bilateral Summits in Tokyo, the 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC, and visits by senior members of the Cabinet in both directions, he said.
The year also saw the resolution of some old market access issues, the first-ever maintenance of a US Naval Ship in India, the Quad focus on STEM, the signing of an Investment Incentive Agreement, the launch of Technology Innovation Hubs as a collaboration of the respective science agencies, record level of trade and investments, etc, said Sandhu. “Our strategic convergences deepened, new initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) were launched while others such as I2U2 were strengthened,” Sandhu said in response to a question.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu concurred with Ambassador Sandhu’s take on the bilateral ties, saying that he believes that the India-US relationship is one of the most consequential relationships in the world. This relationship, he asserted, will determine whether Asia remains free and democratic. “It will determine the future of technology and innovation. And increasingly, it will determine whether we will be successful in combating climate change,” he said.
“This has been a remarkable and historic year for our relations,” Lu told PTI in response to a question.
“We have successfully worked in both countries to move beyond the acute phase of COVID-19 and supported millions of people around the world with innovative vaccines,” he said.
“We have worked together in the Quad to launch the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness and the Partnership for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. We launched the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment which is working to support entrepreneurship and mentoring of women business leaders,” he said.
Observing that the bedrock of this relationship has always been the people-to-people relationship, the senior American diplomat said more than 1 million people travel back and forth each year between the two nations. “This year we had a record number of Indian students studying in the United States, nearly 200,000. Our bilateral trade this year is on track to exceed last year’s record of USD 157 billion. This has been a very good year indeed,” Lu said.
OPINION | Quad spreads its wings, but how high can it soar?
According to Mukesh Aghi, president, and CEO of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum, 2022 was “a momentous year” for US-India relations, as the two nations celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations.
These 75 years symbolized a long journey that had humble beginnings from the Cold War era, long before India’s own economic growth story, he noted. Today, the relationship, which has been dubbed as the most important strategic partner of the 21st century, has moved long beyond symbolic platitudes between the world’s oldest and largest democracy to robust engagements across trade, defence, climate, and technology, Aghi said.
Despite the pandemic, the bilateral trade between India and the US crossed the USD 100 billion mark in 2021, and in 2022, official figures state that the overall US-India bilateral trade in goods and services reached a record USD 157 billion, a drastic increase from the 2020 trade figures, he said.
“The year 2022 has seen deep collaboration between various ministries and not just between the key principals and the Foreign Minister and Secretary of State. On the finance side, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent visit to India and meeting with her counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman. On the energy front, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri recently worked with his counterpart, Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm on the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership, and of course Minister Piyush Goyal and USTR Katherine Tai are in regular conversations on trade,” Aghi told PTI.
Next year is going to take the relationship to a new level.
“As we usher in 2023, I am confident that the bilateral relationship would cement even further to address the challenges of tomorrow, continuing to be a partnership for global good. India’s G-20 Presidency and the commonalities that India’s priorities as President have with the US will also be a significant factor in this,” Sandhu told PTI when asked about the India-US relationship in 2023.
Excited about what lies ahead in 2023, Lu said India has the G20 presidency for the first time, and the United States looks forward to working closely with India at all levels of government in support of this important position.
PHOTOS | Indo-US joint military exercises in full swing; kites and dogs get trained, too
“This year we plan to move forward on intensive collaboration in the defence and clean energy fields. We have committed ourselves to support Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India efforts through more co-production of cutting-edge defence technologies in India,” Lu told PTI.
“We are also working to provide the technology and financing to support the Prime Minister’s vision of 500 gigawatts of installed non-fossil fuel energy by 2030. We are collaborating in solar, wind, civilian nuclear, green hydrogen, and thermal energy projects. Together we can change the planet,” he said.
“I am bullish about prospects for cooperation in the year ahead,” Lu said.
In the year 2023, Aghi said the Russia-Ukraine conflict will continue to dominate global affairs as both Washington and New Delhi along with their G20 partners work to secure and prevent escalating energy prices and the shortage arising from food grains.
There is also room for synergy not just in tech but space collaboration, as India and the US both have scientific prowess and with increased privatization and a growing list of unicorns in India, space tech startups will be a new engine of economic growth and scientific synergy, he said.
“Most importantly, in 2023, India will be the President for the G20 summit. India’s G20 Presidency propels its role as an emerging leader in the global scenario. The leadership also gives a stronger voice to the challenges faced by the developing world as New Delhi leads the way with its increasingly growing economy,” he said.
“India has already outlined priorities for G20 2023 pertaining to climate action, critical and emerging technologies, resilient supply chains, and vaccines. New Delhi can strive towards building an inclusive ecosystem with holistic mechanisms to address key global issues for the private sector,” Aghi said.
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“India is an invaluable partner”: US State Department on Jaishankar-Blinken relations
By ANI
WASHINGTON: Terming India an invaluable partner, the United States Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken shares good relations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and remains in close touch “as they need to.”
Responding to a question on having good relations with India like other countries, Patel said, “Absolutely. The Secretary had the opportunity to host External Affairs Minister Jaishankar here at the State Department a number of weeks ago, where they had the opportunity to speak to you all. He also had the opportunity to have a bilateral engagement with him on the margins of the ASEAN Summit. India is an invaluable partner, not just in the region but as it relates to a lot of the United States’s shared priorities across the world. And the Secretary and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar remain in close touch as they need to,” according to the statement released by the White House.
Earlier, Jaishankar met Blinken at the 17th East Asia Summit where he was accompanied by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who headed the Indian delegation to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. “A good meeting with U.S. Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations,” EAM Jaishankar said in a tweet.
The United States supports India’s G-20 presidency, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted as he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Cambodia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. Both the leaders tweeted about the meeting and shared the details of the discussions.
“I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency” he tweeted.
I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency. #USIndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/mLfzNOqJct
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 13, 2022
The US supports India’s emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in efforts to safeguard the Indo-Pacific as a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity.Recently, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “India is the President of G20 next year, so President Biden will certainly intend to be a participant in G20.”
He pointed out that PM Modi has already been to the White House since President Biden took office.
“The two have had the opportunity to talk in person, and to talk on the phone or talk on video multiple times. When you add all that up there is a very practical and productive relationship between the two, who see a common interest on a number of critical issues, and have really worked to strengthen the US-India partnership,” he said.ALSO READ | G20 Summit: PM Modi, Joe Biden review India-US ties during their meeting
WASHINGTON: Terming India an invaluable partner, the United States Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken shares good relations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and remains in close touch “as they need to.”
Responding to a question on having good relations with India like other countries, Patel said, “Absolutely. The Secretary had the opportunity to host External Affairs Minister Jaishankar here at the State Department a number of weeks ago, where they had the opportunity to speak to you all. He also had the opportunity to have a bilateral engagement with him on the margins of the ASEAN Summit. India is an invaluable partner, not just in the region but as it relates to a lot of the United States’s shared priorities across the world. And the Secretary and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar remain in close touch as they need to,” according to the statement released by the White House.
Earlier, Jaishankar met Blinken at the 17th East Asia Summit where he was accompanied by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who headed the Indian delegation to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. “A good meeting with U.S. Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations,” EAM Jaishankar said in a tweet.
The United States supports India’s G-20 presidency, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted as he met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Cambodia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. Both the leaders tweeted about the meeting and shared the details of the discussions.
“I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency” he tweeted.
I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency. #USIndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/mLfzNOqJct
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 13, 2022
The US supports India’s emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in efforts to safeguard the Indo-Pacific as a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity.Recently, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “India is the President of G20 next year, so President Biden will certainly intend to be a participant in G20.”
He pointed out that PM Modi has already been to the White House since President Biden took office.
“The two have had the opportunity to talk in person, and to talk on the phone or talk on video multiple times. When you add all that up there is a very practical and productive relationship between the two, who see a common interest on a number of critical issues, and have really worked to strengthen the US-India partnership,” he said.ALSO READ | G20 Summit: PM Modi, Joe Biden review India-US ties during their meeting
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ASEAN summit: Jaishankar meets Blinken; discusses Ukraine war, Indo-US ties
By PTI
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Sunday and discussed bilateral ties, the raging Ukraine conflict, energy issues, G20 and the situation in the Indo-Pacific, days ahead of a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.
The meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit here in the Cambodian capital.
Jaishankar is accompanying Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is leading the Indian delegation to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit here.
Jaishankar and Blinken met days ahead of a likely bilateral between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden on the margins of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia from November 15-16.
“A good meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations,” Jaishankar said in a tweet, indicating the topics he discussed with Blinken.
A good meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken .Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations. pic.twitter.com/Cmw3xwgBbw
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 13, 2022
“I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency,” Blinken tweeted.I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency. #USIndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/mLfzNOqJct
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 13, 2022
Jaishankar’s meeting with Blinken took place after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday and talks with Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday here.US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have a productive and very practical relationship. Sullivan said that President Biden was looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali.
“I would point out Prime Minister Modi has already been to the White House since President Biden took office, and the two of them have had the opportunity to meet in person multiple times and to talk by phone and on video multiple times,” he told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
He said the two leaders see common interests on a number of critical issues and have really worked together to strengthen the US-India partnership.
“When you add all that up, it is a productive, very practical relationship,” Sullivan said. “President Biden is looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi at the G20 this year, as we look ahead to the next year,” he said.
India will hold the presidency of the G20 next year and there is a possibility of a US presidential visit to the country.
India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Prime Minister Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.
In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said that there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts. At a bilateral meeting with Putin in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 16, Modi told him that “today’s era is not of war.”
In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers.
In Phnom Penh, Jaishankar met UN chief Antonio Guterres at the end of the ASEAN gala dinner on Saturday.
Jaishankar held also talks with his counterpart from Thailand Don Pramudwinai.
“Always nice to catch up with DPM & FM Don Pramudwinai of Thailand. Discussed our shared regional concerns and the strengthening partnership with ASEAN,” he tweeted.
“Met Canadian colleagues Trade Minister @mary_ng and FM @melaniejoly at the ASEAN gala dinner. All for greater trade and strategic convergence, while countering terrorism and opposing radicalization,” he said in another tweet.
Jaishankar on Saturday discussed a range of issues with his counterparts from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Sunday and discussed bilateral ties, the raging Ukraine conflict, energy issues, G20 and the situation in the Indo-Pacific, days ahead of a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.
The meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit here in the Cambodian capital.
Jaishankar is accompanying Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is leading the Indian delegation to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and the 17th East Asia Summit here.
Jaishankar and Blinken met days ahead of a likely bilateral between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden on the margins of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia from November 15-16.
“A good meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations,” Jaishankar said in a tweet, indicating the topics he discussed with Blinken.
A good meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken .
Discussed Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, energy, G20 and bilateral relations. pic.twitter.com/Cmw3xwgBbw
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 13, 2022
“I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency,” Blinken tweeted.I met Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on the margins of the @ASEAN summit today in Phnom Penh to discuss ongoing efforts to expand our partnership & mitigate the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The U.S. supports India’s #G20 Presidency. #USIndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/mLfzNOqJct
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 13, 2022
Jaishankar’s meeting with Blinken took place after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday and talks with Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday here.US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have a productive and very practical relationship. Sullivan said that President Biden was looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali.
“I would point out Prime Minister Modi has already been to the White House since President Biden took office, and the two of them have had the opportunity to meet in person multiple times and to talk by phone and on video multiple times,” he told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
He said the two leaders see common interests on a number of critical issues and have really worked together to strengthen the US-India partnership.
“When you add all that up, it is a productive, very practical relationship,” Sullivan said. “President Biden is looking forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi at the G20 this year, as we look ahead to the next year,” he said.
India will hold the presidency of the G20 next year and there is a possibility of a US presidential visit to the country.
India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Prime Minister Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a number of times.
In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said that there can be “no military solution” and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts. At a bilateral meeting with Putin in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 16, Modi told him that “today’s era is not of war.”
In the last few months, India has increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers.
In Phnom Penh, Jaishankar met UN chief Antonio Guterres at the end of the ASEAN gala dinner on Saturday.
Jaishankar held also talks with his counterpart from Thailand Don Pramudwinai.
“Always nice to catch up with DPM & FM Don Pramudwinai of Thailand. Discussed our shared regional concerns and the strengthening partnership with ASEAN,” he tweeted.
“Met Canadian colleagues Trade Minister @mary_ng and FM @melaniejoly at the ASEAN gala dinner. All for greater trade and strategic convergence, while countering terrorism and opposing radicalization,” he said in another tweet.
Jaishankar on Saturday discussed a range of issues with his counterparts from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
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Jaishankar, Blinken discuss pressing global issues
By PTI
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday held talks on pressing global challenges, amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taipei.
In his opening remarks at the meeting that took place on the margins of an ASEAN conclave in Phnom Penh, Blinken referred to concerns over “challenges” in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.
It is understood that the escalating tension between China and Taiwan, especially in the Taiwan Strait, following Pelosi’s visit to Taipei figured in the talks.
China has launched a major live-fire military exercise in the waters around Taiwan in response to Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island, triggering global concerns.
The Jaishankar-Blinken meeting also came days after the US killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader and a key plotter of the 9/11 attacks, in a drone strike in a Kabul safe house.
“A warm conversation to start meetings on sidelines of ASEAN Ministerial in Phnom Penh. Discussed the ever strengthening India-US relationship and the global situation with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken,” Jaishankar tweeted.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Blinken said the US and India are strong proponents of the ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific, according to the US State Department.
“We’re both strong proponents of ASEAN centrality. We have a shared vision together for a free and open Indo-Pacific that we work on in so many different ways every single day,” he said.
“And of course, we have some immediate challenges that we’re both concerned with, to include the situation in Sri Lanka, Burma, and a number of other, number of other hot spots,” he said.
“So I very much look forward to once again being able to go through a number of these issues with my friend, and then we’ll both head over to our meetings,” Blinken added.
Last month, Sri Lanka witnessed massive political turmoil following mass protests that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country.
Veteran leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president amid hopes for recovery from economic distress. The western powers were anguished over the execution of four pro-democracy activists by Myanmar’s military government last month.
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday held talks on pressing global challenges, amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taipei.
In his opening remarks at the meeting that took place on the margins of an ASEAN conclave in Phnom Penh, Blinken referred to concerns over “challenges” in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.
It is understood that the escalating tension between China and Taiwan, especially in the Taiwan Strait, following Pelosi’s visit to Taipei figured in the talks.
China has launched a major live-fire military exercise in the waters around Taiwan in response to Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island, triggering global concerns.
The Jaishankar-Blinken meeting also came days after the US killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader and a key plotter of the 9/11 attacks, in a drone strike in a Kabul safe house.
“A warm conversation to start meetings on sidelines of ASEAN Ministerial in Phnom Penh. Discussed the ever strengthening India-US relationship and the global situation with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken,” Jaishankar tweeted.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Blinken said the US and India are strong proponents of the ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific, according to the US State Department.
“We’re both strong proponents of ASEAN centrality. We have a shared vision together for a free and open Indo-Pacific that we work on in so many different ways every single day,” he said.
“And of course, we have some immediate challenges that we’re both concerned with, to include the situation in Sri Lanka, Burma, and a number of other, number of other hot spots,” he said.
“So I very much look forward to once again being able to go through a number of these issues with my friend, and then we’ll both head over to our meetings,” Blinken added.
Last month, Sri Lanka witnessed massive political turmoil following mass protests that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country.
Veteran leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president amid hopes for recovery from economic distress. The western powers were anguished over the execution of four pro-democracy activists by Myanmar’s military government last month.
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US scaling down on human rights in India is a strategic decision, feel experts
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The anticipation built around the US Secretary of State taking up issues related to human rights during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar fizzled out, as Antony Blinken said after the interaction that all democracies are works in progress.This is contrary to expectations when Joe Biden became US President earlier this year. It was expected that Biden would not hold back to call out New Delhi for issues related to human rights. Why this?
Experts believe that US-India ties are no longer based on a narrow interpretation of issues and has transformed into a mature relationship. “The US will side step being too harsh or critical against India as it does not want to disturb many aspects of the growing bilateral relationship. When compared to 1990s and early 2000s, there is a lot more at stake for the US, as is for India, to be vocally against New Delhi,” a research scholar at a leading think-tank said.
However, some think Blinken’s humility may have stemmed from the recent experience of the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “In 1980s, US worked with Mujahideens in Afghanistan to defeat Soviet Union. After the collapse of Soviet Union, the US dropped the ball in Afghanistan and returned only after the 9/11 terror attacks. After almost two decades of having boots on the ground, the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving space open for the Taliban. Unlike other authoritarian groups, Taliban denies not only political freedoms, but seeks to define people’s social lives and even individual clothing choices. Similarly, after prolonged US intervention, it is doubtful if citizens of Iraq enjoy all human rights and political freedoms,” said Sanjay Pulipaka, Senior Fellow at the Delhi Policy Group.
Former US Presidents like Barack Obama had called out India over human rights issues. Senators, too, voiced concerns over Kashmir. After abrogation of Article 370, Senator Lindsey Graham had said in a report, “The Appropriations Committee notes with concern the current humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and calls on the government of India to: restore telecommunications and Internet services; lift lockdown and curfew; release individuals detained pursuant to the revocation of Article 370.”
Pulipaka feels the downgrade of criticism against India could be a part of a larger US strategy. “The unipolar moment in world politics is long gone. Consequently, US attempts to rap on the knuckles of fellow democracies or others may not yield positive outcomes. For example, a relatively smaller power like Myanmar is not losing sleep over US sanctions. The US needs other democracies to promote human rights. It is here that frameworks such as Quad come into play. While democracies continue their ‘quest for a more perfect union’, they should simultaneously protect and promote democracy in the larger Indo-Pacific region. Blinken’s humility, therefore, is a confident call for more collaboration and a calibrated approach towards the promotion of human rights,” he said.
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US scaling down on rights in India is a strategic decision, feel experts
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The anticipation built around the US Secretary of State taking up issues related to human rights during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar fizzled out, as Antony Blinken said after the interaction that all democracies are works in progress.This is contrary to expectations when Joe Biden became US President earlier this year. It was expected that Biden would not hold back to call out New Delhi for issues related to human rights. Why this?
Experts believe that US-India ties are no longer based on a narrow interpretation of issues and has transformed into a mature relationship. “The US will side step being too harsh or critical against India as it does not want to disturb many aspects of the growing bilateral relationship. When compared to 1990s and early 2000s, there is a lot more at stake for the US, as is for India, to be vocally against New Delhi,” a research scholar at a leading think-tank said.
However, some think Blinken’s humility may have stemmed from the recent experience of the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “In 1980s, US worked with Mujahideens in Afghanistan to defeat Soviet Union. After the collapse of Soviet Union, the US dropped the ball in Afghanistan and returned only after the 9/11 terror attacks. After almost two decades of having boots on the ground, the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving space open for the Taliban. Unlike other authoritarian groups, Taliban denies not only political freedoms, but seeks to define people’s social lives and even individual clothing choices. Similarly, after prolonged US intervention, it is doubtful if citizens of Iraq enjoy all human rights and political freedoms,” said Sanjay Pulipaka, Senior Fellow at the Delhi Policy Group.
Former US Presidents like Barack Obama had called out India over human rights issues. Senators, too, voiced concerns over Kashmir. After abrogation of Article 370, Senator Lindsey Graham had said in a report, “The Appropriations Committee notes with concern the current humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and calls on the government of India to: restore telecommunications and Internet services; lift lockdown and curfew; release individuals detained pursuant to the revocation of Article 370.”
Pulipaka feels the downgrade of criticism against India could be a part of a larger US strategy. “The unipolar moment in world politics is long gone. Consequently, US attempts to rap on the knuckles of fellow democracies or others may not yield positive outcomes. For example, a relatively smaller power like Myanmar is not losing sleep over US sanctions. The US needs other democracies to promote human rights. It is here that frameworks such as Quad come into play. While democracies continue their ‘quest for a more perfect union’, they should simultaneously protect and promote democracy in the larger Indo-Pacific region. Blinken’s humility, therefore, is a confident call for more collaboration and a calibrated approach towards the promotion of human rights,” he said.
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US blinks over human rights issues in India as part of larger strategy
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the anticipation was that he will take up issues related to human rights during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar but all seems to have turned into a damp squib as the US official remarked after the meeting that all democracies are works in progress.The probable ease in the US’ stance is in contrast to expectations when Joe Biden assumed office of the US President earlier this year. It was widely expected that the Biden, unlike his predecessor, would not hold back to call out New Delhi for issues related to human rights.
So, why has there been a ‘downgrade’?
Experts are of the view that that US-India relations are no longer based on a narrow interpretation of issues and so-called irritants and has transformed into a mature and broad-based relationship. “The US will side step being too harsh or critical against India as it does not want to disturb many aspects of the growing bilateral relationship. When compared to the 1990s and the early 2000s, there is a lot more at stake for the US, as is for India, to be vocally against New Delhi,” a research scholar at a leading think-tank said.
ALSO READ | ‘Taliban action will have consequences’: Afghanistan issue dominates Blinken-Jaishankar ties
However, some experts argue that that Blinken’s humility may have stemmed from the recent historical experience of the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. “In the 1980s, the US worked with Mujahideen in Afghanistan to defeat the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States dropped the ball in Afghanistan and returned only after the dastardly 9/11 terrorist attacks. After almost two decades of having boots on the ground, the United States has withdrawn from Afghanistan, leaving space open for the Taliban. Unlike the other authoritarian groups, the Taliban denies not only political freedoms, but it seeks to define people’s social lives and even individual clothing choices. Similarly, after prolonged US intervention, it is doubtful if citizens of Iraq enjoy full-spectrum human rights and political freedoms,” Senior Fellow at the Delhi Policy Group, Sanjay Pulipaka said.
Former US Presidents like Barack Obama have called out India over human rights issues. During a visit to India in 2015, the former president had said, “India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith — so long as it’s not splintered along any lines, and is unified as one nation.”
ALSO READ | Blinken announces USD 25 million for India’s Covid vaccination programme
Senators too have vocally voiced concerns over the Kashmir situation. In the aftermath of India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in August 2019, Senator Lindsey Graham, who was considered to be close to former President Trump, in a report had said, “The Appropriations Committee notes with concern the current humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and calls on the Government of India to: fully restore telecommunications and Internet services; lift its lockdown and curfew; and release individuals detained pursuant to the Government’s revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.”
Pulipaka opines that the downgrade of criticism against India could be a part of a larger foreign policy strategy by the US. “The unipolar moment in world politics is long gone. Consequently, the US attempts to rap on the knuckles of fellow democracies or others may not yield positive outcomes. For example, a relatively smaller power like Myanmar today is not losing sleep over US sanctions. So, the US needs other democracies to promote human rights in different regions of the world. It is here that frameworks such as Quad come into play. While the democracies continue their “quest for a more perfect union,” they should simultaneously protect and promote democracy in the larger Indo-Pacific region. Blinken’s humility, therefore, is a confident call for more collaboration and a calibrated approach towards the promotion of human rights,” he said.