External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday. This was his first face-to-face meeting after US President Donald Trump imposed additional charges on India. The meeting of the two leaders was on the besides the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister S.K. During a meeting with Jaishankar, he said that relations with India are extremely important for America. He also “appreciated” New Delhi’s continuous participation on bilateral issues including trade, defense and energy. He met Jaishankar here on Monday morning on the sidelines of the high -level 80th season of the United Nations General Assembly.
Also read this: Signed on MOU for cooperation in the defense sector with Morocco Defense Minister, both sides agreed on terrorism, maritime security
The details of the meeting by the State Department stated that Rubio reiterated that “relations with India are extremely important for America” and they appreciated the continuous participation of the Government of India on many issues including business, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, important minerals and other issues related to bilateral relations.
The statement said that Rubio and Jaishankar agreed that the US and India would continue to work together to promote an independent and open Indo-Pacific region through ‘Quad’. Jaishankar said in a post on ‘X’ that I liked Rubio in New York “.
Also read this: Whether the public is getting the benefit of GST deduction or not, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary reached the market
Jaishankar said on social media, “Many bilateral and international issues of current concern were discussed in our conversation. The importance of continuous engagement for progress in priority areas was agreed. We will remain in touch. ”Rubio said in a post on ‘X’. He discussed the major areas of bilateral relations with Jaishankar, including trade, energy, medicines, important minerals and other subjects to ensure prosperity for India and the US.
In the last few months, the meeting, which lasted for about an hour in the midst of tension in the two countries over trade, fee (tariff) and the purchase of Russian oil, was the first face-to-face conversation between Rubio and Jaishankar. The administration of US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 percent fee on New Delhi for the purchase of Russian oil, making the total fee levied by the US on India to 50 percent, which is the highest in the world.
Just a few days before this meeting, US President Trump signed an announcement on the new H1B visa by levying a huge fee of one lakh US dollars. This announcement created widespread concern among Indian professionals including information technology and medical field professionals, who are the biggest beneficiaries of the H1B skilled-employee program. Rubio and Jaishankar had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a quad foreign ministers’ meeting at Washington DC in July last time.
The bilateral meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly, took place on the same day when India and the United States discussed the early conclusion of a trade agreement. A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is in New York for meetings with the US side on Monday.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry had stated that the purpose of the delegation is to pursue discussions so that the early conclusion of the mutual profitable trade agreement could be reached. “Jaishankar also met the Foreign Ministers of the European Union on Monday in their informal meeting. He thanked the European Union’s high representative Kaza Kailas for hosting for foreign affairs and security policy.
Jaishankar said, “There was an opportunity to openly exchange ideas on multiplicity, India-European Union partnership, Ukraine struggle, Gaza, energy and trade.” The US State Department’s Bureau on South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau said that the US Ambassador for South and Central Asia and the US Ambassador for India, Surgey Gor, met the United Nations.
He said, “He (Jaishankar and Gore) are ready to further promote the success of the US-India relations.” Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday to participate in the high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly. He will hold bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the session and will give a national statement from the UNGA platform in general debate on 27 September.