Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, US deputy secy of state meet, reaffirm ‘shared desire to maintain regional stability and peace'
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met in Washington, D.C. and reaffirmed their 'shared desire to maintain regional stability and peace', the US State Department said on Thursday.
The meeting comes in the wake of the four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan between May 7 and 10, following the launch of Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The US has claimed credit for brokering the ceasefire between the two countries, but Delhi has said that it was negotiated bilaterally between India and Pakistan's director generals of military operations.
In the first meeting between Misri and Landau, which took place on Wednesday, India highlighted the issue of tech, trade and talent in their public statement.
The US said that they discussed 'expanding fair and reciprocal trade' — a reference to the bilateral trade deal negotiations going on between the two countries.
After the meeting, the Indian embassy in the US posted on X, 'Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri had a great first meeting with @DeputySecState @ChrisLandauUSA. They discussed the full breadth of the India-US bilateral agenda and shared priorities.'
'They agreed that Tech-Trade-Talent will shape the India-US partnership in the 21st century. They reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the leadership's vision and to strengthen the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership,' it said.
US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, 'Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau met with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri today in Washington. The Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the close partnership between the U.S. and India, a key component of U.S. foreign policy for the 21st century.'
'He underscored the importance of fair and reciprocal market access to fostering economic growth and prosperity in both countries. The Deputy Secretary emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation on migration and counternarcotics. The Deputy Secretary and the Foreign Secretary also reaffirmed their shared desire to maintain regional stability and peace,' she said.
Landau said, 'Had a great lunch with Indian Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri today to talk about the [U.S.]-[India] relationship, which is at a historic zenith and represents a key partnership in the 21stcentury. We discussed the importance of expanding fair and reciprocal trade, combatting illegal immigration, and expanding counternarcotics cooperation.'
Misri also had an inter-agency meeting, along with Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, on the tech partnership, among other strategic issues.
The Indian Embassy said, 'Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri led the Indian delegation along with Deputy NSA @AmbKapoor for the inter-agency discussions on the India-US COMPACT for the 21st century.'
'APDNSA (Assistant to President and Deputy NSA) Andy Baker and senior official Michael Needham led the US delegation. Discussions at the White House focused on implementing the TRUST initiative, taking forward cooperation in the defence and energy domains, and strengthening the Quad, IMEEC, and I2U2 initiatives,' it added.
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