EAM Jaishankar holds talks with US NSA Sullivan on trade, Quad, vaccines, Indo-pacific

Bolstering Indo-US ties, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday met with US NSA Jake Sullivan and held talks on Indo-Pacific issues, Afghanistan, India-US vaccine partnership in Washington. India welcomed the $500 million COVID relief supplies from US and agreed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, global leadership on climate change and trade, tech & business cooperation. The EAM also held trade talks with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, focusing on post-COVID recovery. Jaishankar is on a 5-day trip from Amy 23-28 to the US to hold talks on vaccine import, QUAD, defence ties, trade relations etc.

India-US bilateral talks on Quad, Afghanistan, vaccine etc

"NSA Sullivan met with India's EAM Jaishankar to review strong partnership b/w world’s largest democracies & welcomed cooperation in recent weeks with deliveries of over $500 million in COVID relief supplies from US federal & state govts for people of India. They discussed a range of regional & global issues, and agreed that the US & India should continue working closely together to address common challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They agreed that people-to-people ties and shared values are the foundation of the US-India strategic partnership that is helping to end the pandemic, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, and providing global leadership on climate change," said NSC spokesperson Emily Horne.

Sources had hinted that Jaishankar will hold talks with his US counterpart Antony Blinken on delivery of vaccines lying unused in US, procurement of the vaccines, solving the Indemnity and Emergency Use Authorisation issue. Apart from vaccines, talks were to be held on the LAC standoff in Ladakh, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the Afghan peace process. Talking about India-Pakistan, the EAM highlighted that cross-border terrorism had been the issue since partition in 1947. In a conversation with former US National Security Advisor General HR McMaster, Jaishankar said that the two neighbours will have to find a way to co-exist while calling the ceasefire a 'good step'.

India receives global aid

India has been offered aid from several countries like United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Germany,  Australia, Russia, Kuwait, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE, Dubai, Qatar, Switzerland Hong Kong, Thailand, Pakistan, United States and China promising oxygen concentrators, ventilators, liquid oxygen, PPEs, test kits, N95 masks, cryogenic Oxygen Containers. Moreover, US has lifted its ban on exporting raw materials needed to manufacture COVISHIELD doses and promised to send unused Covishield doses to India. US is also backing India at the WTO for patent waiver on COVID vaccines. All steps are yet to be implemented.