Antony Blinken meets S Jaishankar, says India, US working to address ‘global challenges’

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with external affairs minister S Jaishankar in Washington DC on Tuesday and said India and the US are working together to address regional and global challenges.

S Jaishankar is on his first visit to the US since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power for the third time at the Centre.

“Together, the US and India are working to address regional and global challenges. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and I met to discuss our continued cooperation on the climate crisis and ways we can promote regional security and prosperity,” Anthony Blinken said after the meeting.

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Antony Blinken also noted Modi's visit to Ukraine in August and “reiterated the importance of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine”, US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said.

Commenting on the warmth between Modi and Biden, Blinken said it reflects the “value” that two countries attach to their bilateral ties and growing cooperation in strategically crucial sectors such as space, semiconductors and clean energy.

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“So, coming off the UN General Assembly, coming off the meetings that we had with the QUAD and bilaterally, this is a good opportunity for us to take stock of the many issues that we are working together on -- working together in a way that betters the lives of our own people and I think makes a positive contribution to the world,” Blinken added.

Jaishankar said he was "delighted" to hold talks with Blinken in the US capital and referred to PM Modi's recent bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden during his latest bilateral visit to the US.

“Delighted to hold talks with Blinken in Washington DC. We followed up on the Delaware bilateral and the QUAD meetings. Our discussions also covered deepening bilateral cooperation, the situation in West Asia, recent developments in the Indian subcontinent, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine,” Jaishankar added.

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Elaborating more on the meeting, the US State Department said the two sides discussed their enduring commitment to deepen bilateral ties, coordinating closely on regional and global challenges and advancing cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.

“I think, on the bilateral side, there is a lot that we have done since our last meeting but there are global issues to discuss, including some of the events you mentioned today,” said Jaishankar during a discussion later held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a top American think tank.

(With PTI inputs)