Blinken in India for G-20 overseas ministers’ meet, Quad, bilateral talks additionally on agenda

Blinken is in New Delhi primarily to attend the G-20 Foreign Ministers assembly, on the sidelines of which he can have a gathering along with his counterparts of Quad international locations. He may also maintain bilateral talks with Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in New Delhi Wednesday evening for the G-20 Foreign Ministers assembly (Image: Twitter/@SecBlinken)

By Press Trust of India: During his three-day journey to India, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken will reaffirm the strengthening of the bilateral relationship, the White House mentioned Wednesday.

Blinken, 60, arrived in New Delhi Wednesday evening after his Central Asia journey. He is in New Delhi primarily to attend the G-20 Foreign Ministers assembly. On the sidelines of which he can have a gathering along with his counterparts of Quad international locations and take part in a panel dialogue with them.

“Secretary Blinken will reaffirm the strength of the US-India relationship and express our commitment to continue working together and in groups like the Quad to advance economic growth for our two countries and expand cooperation as we have our shared priorities,” White House Press Secretary advised reporters at a information convention right here.

Blinken would additionally maintain bilateral talks with the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

“Namaste, India!” Blinken’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel mentioned on the touchdown of Blinken in New Delhi.

“Secretary Blinken has arrived in New Delhi for the G-20 FMM (foreign ministers meeting) and to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, which is founded on our shared values including a commitment to democracy and the rules-based international system,” Patel mentioned in a tweet.

Soon after the touchdown of Blinken in New Delhi, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price advised reporters that he’ll attend the G-20 assembly and participate within the Raisina Dialogue. “He will also have an opportunity to engage on a bilateral basis with his Foreign Secretary (sic) Jaishankar, and other senior Indian counterparts,” he mentioned.

“Our relationship with India is a global strategic partnership. It is a partnership that is broad; it is a partnership that is deep and comprehensive. So, they’ll have an opportunity to discuss the issues that will dominate the agenda within the G20,” Price mentioned.

“They’ll have an opportunity to discuss some of the new areas of partnership between the United States and India, including when it comes to technology, including when it comes to the cyber realm, including when it comes to the ways in which we are attempting to integrate our partner, India, into our broader set of partnerships across the world including through I2U2, the partnership that brings together the United States, India, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates,” he mentioned.

Blinken can have a possibility to debate the shared imaginative and prescient for a free Indo-Pacific, and broadly he’ll have a possibility to speak about what’s a bedrock of the partnership between the United States and India, Price mentioned.

“What unites our two countries are common interests. We all share an interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific region. But our people and the deep people-to-people ties are also predicated on the shared values between our two countries,” he mentioned.

“Of course, as two of the largest democracies in the world, we always discuss these issues knowing that we can learn from one another, and our engagement puts us in a position to strengthen our own democracies,” Price mentioned.

Responding to a query, Price mentioned G20 is a vital discussion board. “We are supportive of India’s leadership and its effective stewardship of the G20 this year, and it’s an important forum where, as guided by the Indian leadership this year, participants will be able to talk about the issues that matter most to the people that are represented by this forum,” he mentioned.

They’ll have a possibility to speak about meals safety, to speak about power, well being safety, widespread challenges like fentanyl and narcotics, he mentioned.

“The G20 is not principally a security forum, but as the leaders recognized in Bali under Indonesia’s leadership last year, security issues do have implications for all of these issues that the G20 countries care about.

“What we noticed popping out of the G20 finance ministers assembly final weekend was a really clear manifestation that the G20 is decided to make progress, to deal with and confront these widespread challenges, and to the extent there are divides throughout the G20, it’s Russia, it’s China that discover themselves remoted,” Price mentioned.

Posted By:

Devika Bhattacharya

Published On:

Mar 2, 2023