There are few relationships in the world that are more vital than the one between the US and India. We are two of the world's leading democracies and diversity fuels our national strength, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after extensive talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on Wednesday in Delhi External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, meanwhile, thanked the US government for keeping raw material supply chains open for vaccine production as the two leaders discussed several issues of mutual concerns. "Let me acknowledge responsiveness of Biden administration to keeping the raw material supply chains open for vaccine production in India and then say big thanks for the support we received during COVID second wave from US, a support that was truly exceptional," said Jaishankar. The Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in his official Twitter account that Blinken, who arrived in New Delhi last night on an official visit, covered a wide area of mutual concerns during his talks with his counterpart. He said that Jaishankar highlighted during his opening remarks with Blinken that India-US cooperation covers virtually all domains of contemporary relevance. He also underlined shared interests, similar concerns, and strong convergences during the talks, Bagchi said. He added that the talks sought ways of deeper cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed that both sides are striving for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and working for democratic stability in Afghanistan. "Our conversations on global issues would surely be richer from real exchanges of national experiences and historical perspectives," Jaishankar was quoted as saying by Asian News International. "Peace and prosperity in Indo-Pacific are as important for both of us as democratic stability in Afghanistan. Deepening Quad as a collaborative platform is in our mutual interest and we must work together even more closely on key contemporary challenges like terrorism," he added. Blinken in his statement too acknowledged India's role in assisting US in the time of its need. "We remember with gratitude and will not forget the aid and assistance India provided to us early in the pandemic. I am proud we could return the gesture to India," Blinken said, adding, there is a greater imperative of cooperation than ever before. Blinken said, "There isn't a challenge that doesn't have an impact on the lives of our citizens, whether it's COVID or the disruptive impact of emerging technologies, that can be addressed by any one of us acting alone. There's a greater imperative on cooperation among countries than ever before." As part of his two-day visit to India, Blinken also held a meeting with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Wednesday. The meet is crucial as defense and security of the Indian Ocean Region has been pegged as key focus areas of Blinken's visit. That the meeting is also being held amid US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, Doval is expected to bring up India's security concerns, including seeking US help in keeping up the pressure on Pakistan to give up its support to terrorism. Then there's the matter of Indo-Pacific security, China's growing assertiveness and the Quad as a possible response to that. The visiting US official is also set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kuwait. Blinken's visit, which comes after two high-level visits of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin in March and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry in April, is seen by Indian authorities as an "opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership". — Agencies
