U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met on October 1, 2024, at the State Department in Washington DC to review the state of the US-India bilateral relationship, and reflect on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US.
Their discussions covered a wide range of topics, including the outcomes of recent bilateral and Quad meetings in Delaware, deepening collaboration between the two nations, the situation in West Asia, climate change cooperation, recent developments on the Indo-Pacific, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In welcoming Minister Jaishankar, Secretary Blinken emphasized the “incredible vibrancy,” and strength of the US-India partnership, noting it was evident in recent weeks.
“We had Prime Minister Modi here and actually in Wilmington, Delaware, for the Quad meeting as well as a bilateral meeting with President Biden,” he added. “The warmth of that meeting, the ambition in the relationship, is at a level we’ve never seen before.”
Blinken highlighted that their meeting underscored the importance both countries place on their partnership, particularly in key areas like “strategic technology sectors, space, semiconductors, and clean energy.” He noted how the two nations are increasingly collaborating in these fields, creating new opportunities for their people and for the global community.
Blinken also emphasized India’s vital role on the world stage, noting its efforts in working for peace, stability, and security and stressed their strong collaboration within the United States as well.
“So coming off of the UN General Assembly, coming off of the meetings that we had with the Quad and bilaterally, this is a good opportunity for us to take stock of the many issues that we’re working together – working together in a way that betters the lives of our own people and I think makes a positive contribution to the world,” added Blinken.
Jaishankar expressed his gratitude to Blinken for productive meetings between the Prime Minister and the President in Delaware, emphasizing they had a “very good Quad meeting.” He added that these meetings allowed both sides to assess progress across various areas of cooperation.
“I think on the bilateral side there’s a lot that we’ve done since our last meeting,” Jaishankar said. He continued, “but there are global issues to discuss, including some of the events you mentioned today,” pointing to Blinken’s statement on Iran firing missiles at Israel before their meeting began.
In his brief statement, Blinken noted that Iran had launched a direct attack on Israel for the second time in five months, firing approximately 200 ballistic missiles. He emphasized, “This is totally unacceptable, and the entire world should condemn it.”
Referring to initial reports, Blinken added that Israel, with the support from US and other partners, was able to defend itself.
“We have demonstrated, once again, our commitment to Israel’s defense. We’ll remain in very close touch with Israel and other partners in the region in the hours and days ahead,” he added.
In a statement, State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that Blinken and Jaishankar, “discussed the United States and India’s enduring commitment to deepening bilateral ties, coordinating closely on regional and global challenges, and advancing cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.”
He also mentioned that Blinken highlighted Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kyiv in August, and emphasized the need for a “just and lasting peace for Ukraine.” Additionally, both talked about strategies to enhance cooperation on clean energy projects to tackle the global climate crisis.
On September 30th, Jaishankar also met with US Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, and discussed areas such as semiconductors, US-India initiative on critical and emerging technology, trusted partnerships, and supply chain resiliency.
“They discussed the U.S.-India CEO Forum and U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue, two Department of Commerce and Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry-led initiatives that aim to strengthen the U.S.-India trade and investment relationship,” noted a statement from the Department of Commerce, emphasizing, “They also commended the progress to date under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and reiterated their shared commitment to continuing to advance the work to operationalize the IPEF agreements.”
