Jaishankar reaches Washington DC, to meet Blinken

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet his US counterpart Antony Blinken on Tuesday, during which they are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral and global issues, including the Ukraine war and the Middle East crisis.

Jaishankar, who arrived in the US capital on Sunday, will also meet other Cabinet-rank and senior Biden administration officials.

Apart from meeting US Secretary of State Blinken, the external affairs minister is also scheduled to interact with the think-tank community.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a conversation between Jaishankar and its president Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuellar on the future of US-India relations.

The think-tank said India's strategic importance was rising both globally and in the making of US foreign policy, and cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2023 State Visit and his recent bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden to showcase this relationship.

Biden hosted Modi at his Delaware residence for a bilateral meeting on September 21. They were later joined by leaders from Australia and Japan for the QUAD Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

The think-tank said amid fast-paced global developments, India's bilateral ties with the US had grown more extensive.

The two countries have deepened partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, as well as on defence innovation, and critical and emerging technologies, it added.