Stage all set for PM Modi's visit to United States

New Delhi: A day after holding talks with India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval and then calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, America’s national security adviser  Jake Sullivan on Wednesday held talks with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar ahead of Mr Modi’s visit to the United States next week.

The minister tweeted: “Great to meet US NSA @jakesullivan46 in South Block today morning. Our conversation focused on preparing for PM @narendramodi’s upcoming US visit. Also discussed global strategic developments from the perspective of our partnership.”

Mr Modi had on Tuesday evening said he looked forward to meeting US President Joe Biden soon in Washington. The visit of the American NSA is seen as the final preparatory one ahead of Mr Modi’s forthcoming visit to the US next week.

Earlier on Tuesday in New Delhi, Mr Sullivan held talks with Mr Doval “on regional and global issues of mutual interest”, New Delhi had said in a statement, adding that Mr Sullivan’s visit will give both nations “the opportunity to continue their high-level dialogue, which will include a review of the robust and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries as well as a survey of the India-US global strategic partnership”.

Both NSAs had attended an event organised by trade body CII on Tuesday evening in the capital on the subject of the iCET and had expressed satisfaction at the progress of the initiative that was launched during the visit of Mr Doval to Washington in February this year.

The iCET aims to “position the two countries as trusted technology partners by building technology value chains and support the co-development and co-production of items (and) also aims to address regulatory restrictions, export controls and mobility barriers through a standing mechanism”.