A file photo of EAM S Jaishankar with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken(R). (Photo| PTI)
New Delhi - External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar, and US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, held a telephonic conversation on Sunday to discuss global and regional issues. Jaishankar took to Twitter to share that they had a warm conversation and discussed current issues while noting the steady progress in their bilateral ties. The two leaders had previously held bilateral talks in March during the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi. During that meeting, they discussed measures to mitigate the global impacts of Russia's war in Ukraine.
According to a statement by US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken and Jaishankar discussed how India and the US can expand technology and defence cooperation, increase food and energy security, and enhance health security. At the time of the conversation, Jaishankar had just concluded his visit to Uganda and Mozambique on Saturday, while Blinken had completed his first visit to Vietnam. In Vietnam, Blinken spoke about the US's commitment to elevate the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and work together towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The US has consistently emphasized strengthening the Indo-Pacific with India as a steady partner. Given the Chinese build-up around Taiwan and the US’s support for Taiwan, tensions are building up in that region. Meanwhile, Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific Coordinator of the US National Security Council, talked about the strong people-to-people ties between India and the US and expressed confidence that the relationship between the two countries will get stronger in the future. Campbell spoke at an event organized by the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C., where he said that the relationship will get better and deeper in the coming years.