New Delhi, May 25:
India and the US on Sunday sought to signal a reset in their strained ties as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Marco Rubio held frank discussions on thorny issues such as trade, visas, energy security, cross-border terrorism and the implications of the West Asia conflict.
Rubio, who is on a four-day visit to the country, described New Delhi as a major power and dismissed observations that the US-India relationship has lost its two-decade momentum, firmly asserting that the engagement will grow much stronger by the end of the current administration’s tenure.
In a clear statement of India’s foreign policy priorities, Jaishankar outlined a strategic five-point blueprint for global stability, asserting that India advocates dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts, supports unimpeded maritime commerce, demands respect for international law and is against “weaponisation” of market shares and resources.
In their first comprehensive dialogue after the India-US ties witnessed major downturn, the two sides primarily focused on vigorously bolstering cooperation in areas of defence, critical minerals, high technology and economic engagement.
“The US-India relationship has not lost any momentum. I understand why some people might say that. I don’t understand, but I understand some people say that. This is not about India. This is about the United States in terms of trade,” Rubio said at a joint press conference with Jaishankar.