Anthony Blinken on first visit to India: key points made
“President Biden’s determination is to continue to grow stronger the relationship between the US and India,” he said
By IAR Desk
On his first visit to India, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Dival, a group of civil society leaders and also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the agenda was regional security, including Afghanistan, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and bolstering Covid 19 response. There was more convergence on Afghanistan than divergence, with each side reiterating that there’s no military solution to the conflict.
The US Secretary of State said “We view India as a force for good in defence of free, open Indo-Pacific” and that “President Biden’s determination is to continue to grow stronger the relationship between the US and India.”
At a joint press conference Dr. Jaishankar said: “The India-US bilateral ties have enhanced to a level that enables the two nations to deal collaboratively with larger issues.”
Here are key statements by the Secretary of State on tge topics on the agenda.
On Afghanistan…..
“It’s deeply troubling to see Taliban actions as it advances on city centres. We are supportive of the Afghan government and the Afghan forces. The leader of the Taliban wants to travel across the world and there is only one way of doing that. Taking the country by forces is not the path for the Taliban to reach its objectives.”
On the Quad…..
“India is one of our most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The United States welcomes India’s emergence as a leading global power and it’s role in providing safety and security in the region.”
On democracy and human rights….
“The Indian people and the American people believe in human dignity, equality in opportunity, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion and belief. We believe that all people deserve to have a voice in their government and be treated with respect no matter who they are. These are fundamental tenets of democracies like ours, and our purpose is to give real meaning to these words and constantly renew our commitment to these ideals,”
On Covid 19 cooperation….
“US has contributed more than 200 million dollars [USD] worth of Covid-19 assistance. I am pleased to announce that the United States government will send additional 25 million dollars [USD] to support vaccination efforts across India.”
