US Secy of State Blinken to Visit India on 27-28 July; Will Meet PM, EAM

This would be Antony Blinken's first visit to India after taking charge as the US Secretary of State, MEA said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting India on 27 and 28 July.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting India on 27 and 28 July and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

This would be Blinken's first visit to the country after taking charge as the US Secretary of State, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Friday, 23 July, adding that the "discussions will focus on regional and global issues of mutual interest – including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan and cooperation in the UN."

"Secretary Blinken's visit is an opportunity to continue the high-level bilateral dialogue and bolster the India-US global strategic partnership. Both sides will review the robust and multifaceted India-US bilateral relations, and potential for consolidating them further."

Ministry of External Affairs

Meanwhile, the US Department of State, in a statement, said the discussion will focus on issues such as "continued cooperation on COVID-19 response efforts, Indo-Pacific engagement, shared regional security interests, shared democratic values and addressing the climate crisis."

In May, during his five-day trip to the US, EAM Jaishankar had an in-person meeting with Blinken, where they had discussed COVID-19 cooperation between the two countries.

Following the meeting, Blinken had said, “The partnership between the United States and India is vital. It’s strong. And I think it’s increasingly predominant.”

Both of them had also met earlier that month during the G-7 Foreign Ministers' meeting held in London.