New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland co-chaired India-US Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Monday. Following up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discussions with President Joseph R Biden in Washington DC in September 2021, the two sides reviewed progress in various domains under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
Both sides welcomed regular high-level dialogue and engagement, including productive meetings of bilateral mechanisms, which led to intensifying cooperation across all pillars of the bilateral agenda. The FOC provided a valuable opportunity to discuss contemporary regional issues about South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, West Asia and the situation in Ukraine, among others.
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Foreign Secretary Shringla and Under Secretary of State Nuland agreed to maintain regular dialogue and consultations on regional issues. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Following up on the Quad Leaders’ Meetings, they expressed a keen desire to implement quickly the Quad’s positive and constructive agenda to deliver for countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
Given their shared democratic values and convergences of strategic interests, Foreign Secretary Shringla and Under Secretary Nuland agreed to work together to strengthen the India-US global partnership regarding supply chains, critical technologies, health security, climate actions & clean energy and terrorism.
They noted the close cooperation between their two delegations at the UN Security Council where India is currently a non-permanent member and reiterated their desire to intensify cooperation in multilateral fora and international organisations, including the UN. Both sides looked forward to the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington DC. They agreed to hold the next FOC at a mutually convenient date in Washington DC.
