India FS Shringla meets US Dy Secy Sherman; holds talks on Afghan crisis, QUAD cooperation

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Thursday to discuss several "issues of mutual importance", with a primary focus on the situation in Afghanistan. Details of the meeting were shared by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price later in the day.  

India, US discuss Indo-Pacific cooperation, COVID-19 pandemic

The US State Department said that the meeting witnessed some major discussions on various topics of mutual cooperation between the two countries. The diplomats discussed the Indo-Pacific cooperation, COVID-19 pandemic situation, climate crisis, preparations for upcoming dialogues, as well as the 2+2 Ministerial. Later, they agreed on coordinating closely on their shared goals to further strengthen the partnership between the USA and India. 

Taking to Twitter, Sherman provided details on the meeting. Responding to it, the Indian foreign secretary thanked her for engaging on issues of mutual importance. 

Earlier in the day, Shringla met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss bilateral ties and the Afghanistan situation. The External Ministry of India said that its priority stands at evacuating all Indians from the war-ravaged nation. 

External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "It's not a matter of yes and no. Our aim is that Afghanistan's land shouldn't be used for terror activity of any kind."

2+2 Intersessional Dialogue

Earlier, on 1 September, India and the US held a bilateral 2+2 inter-sessional dialogue in Washington DC. The meeting saw several discussions regarding the last Ministerial Dialogue which took place in October 2020 and regarding the preparations for the forthcoming dialogue later this year. The Indian and US delegations were led by many eminent personalities from the ministry. During the meeting, both sides took stock of the India-US partnership and all the different priorities to be focused on. 

Earlier, on Wednesday, Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu hosted Shringla and United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at India House. Senior officials from the US Department of State, National Security Council, and Office of Special Presidential Envoy for Climate were also present at India House.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)