Washington: US Secretary of State Tony Blinken during his maiden trip to India next week would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, his spokesperson said on Friday.
In addition to his trip to New Delhi, Blinken will also travel to Kuwait City during his foreign trip from July 26 to 29, which State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said is to reaffirm America’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and underscore cooperation on their shared priorities.
In New Delhi on July 28, Secretary Blinken will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a wide range of issues, including continued cooperation on COVID-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values and addressing the climate crisis, Price said.
Blinken will travel on July 28 to Kuwait City where he will meet with senior Kuwaiti officials to continue discussions of key bilateral issues that underscore the importance of our 60 years of diplomatic ties, he said.
The MEA said Blinken will also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on July 28.
It said Secretary Blinken’s visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership.
“Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relations, and potential for consolidating them further,” the MEA said in a statement.
“Discussions will focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan and cooperation in the UN,” it added.
The top American diplomat would return to Washington, D.C. on July 29.—PTI
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