US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting India on a two-day visit on July 27 and 28. This will be Antony Blinken’s first visit as US Secretary of State. During this he was Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said on Friday evening that Antony Blinken’s visit to India is an opportunity to continue high-level talks, strengthen the India-US global strategic partnership. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval on July 28 during his visit to India.
The main thrust of the visit will be to lay the groundwork for a summit in Washington later this year in the physical presence of the leaders of the Quad group. The quad includes India, Japan, Australia and the US. The US is considering holding a summit in the physical presence of the leaders of the Quad to promote practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as well as send a strong signal about Washington’s commitment to the grouping.
Blinken will be the second high-ranking official to visit India after the Biden administration came to power in January. US Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin paid a three-day visit to India in March to further boost bilateral defense and security ties. Austin’s visit to India came days after the top leadership of the Quad group of India, the US, Japan and Australia pledged to expand their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region at a digital summit hosted by President Joe Biden.
The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific has become a topic of major discussion among major global powers in the wake of China’s growing military might. Several countries and groups have come out with their own vision for the growing strategic interests of the Indo-Pacific. In April, the European Union came out with a comprehensive strategy listing its priorities and vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
During Blinken’s visit to India, the two sides are expected to focus on a number of bilateral and regional issues, including the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan, China’s growing assertiveness in the region and promoting cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Methods of giving are included.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had visited the US in May last, during which he met senior officials of major US pharma companies. The main thrust of Jaishankar’s five-day visit to the US was on the supply of raw materials from the US to India to boost the country’s vaccine production. It is expected that special attention will be given to the situation in Afghanistan in the Indo-US talks.