STAGE SET FOR JAISHANKAR, BLINKEN TALKS

US secretary of state Antony J. Blinken, who arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, will be holding talks on Wednesday with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on issues like the Afghanistan situation, cooperation within the fournation Quad and the situation in the Indo-Pacific as well as on the SinoIndian border in the wake of China’s military assertiveness.

US secretary of state Antony J. Blinken, who arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, will be holding talks on Wednesday with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on key issues like the Afghanistan situation in the context of Pakistansponsored terrorism, cooperation within the four-nation Quad and the situation in the IndoPacific as well as at the Sino-Indian border in the wake of China’s military assertiveness.

The battle against the Covid-19, including the supply of vaccines to India by the US, and the deepening of defence ties between the two nations will also come up. Blinken will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet national security adviser Ajit Doval on Wednesday.

The visit is likely to be watched closely by both China and India’s timetested friend Russia. This will be Blinken’s first visit to India after assuming office and will be the latest in a series of high-level visits from the Biden administration — after the visits by US defence secretary Lloyd Austin in March, and special envoy on climate change John Kerry in April. From the Indian side, Jaishankar also visited the US in May.

On the situation in Afghanistan, India is expected to discuss the implications of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and emphasise the need for sustained pressure on Pakistan on terror financing and terror havens. The security situation in the Indo-Pacific and the need to deepen the cooperation within the Quad will also feature prominently.