S Jaishankar and Antony Blinken Discuss Bilateral Ties Amid Diplomatic Row
WASHINGTON: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday to discuss ways to further bilateral ties. The meeting comes amidst a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
In a tweet, ANI shared a video of Jaishankar and Blinken’s meeting in which the Indian minister expressed gratitude to the US for its support to the G20 Summit and stated it was good to be back in Washington.
Blinken, on the other hand, mentioned that he had fruitful discussions with Jaishankar in recent weeks, including at the G20 and on the margins of the UN General Assembly session in New York. He also expressed his anticipation for their discussions.
However, the two leaders did not take any questions from the media, leaving the agenda of the meeting unclear. Nonetheless, the recent diplomatic crisis between India and Canada is expected to be a prominent topic of discussion.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller informed reporters that the US had raised the issue with Indian counterparts and urged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation into the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken was scheduled before the Canadian crisis emerged. Still, the US has been urging India to cooperate in the investigation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in Nijjar’s killing, while India vehemently denied the allegations.
Prior to the meeting with Blinken, Jaishankar had discussions with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and US Trade Representative Katherine Tie. The topics included the progress in bilateral relations and economic ties between Washington and New Delhi.
Jaishankar arrived in Washington from New York, where he addressed the 78th General Assembly session of the United Nations. During his visit, he is expected to have a series of meetings with senior officials of the Biden administration to review the progress made since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit in June.
This article is published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff.