Jaishankar meets US State Secy Marco Rubio on sidelines of 80th UNGA

New York [US], September 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The two leaders warmly shook hands as they met on the UNGA session sidelines. 

This meeting marks their first face-to-face interaction since trade tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Indian goods over India's purchase of Russian oil.

The meeting is part of a continuing effort to strengthen India-US ties, which had come under strain in recent months but have since shown signs of recovery.

India and the US are working towards concluding a trade agreement, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal leading a delegation for talks in Washington. US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in July amid trade talks between the two countries and later imposed another 25 per cent tariff on the purchase of Russian oil.  The countries have resumed talks for a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).   

According to a release from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, "positive discussions were held" during the September 16 visit of officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative to India, and both sides agreed to intensify efforts towards finalising a deal.

The two leaders last met in Washington in July for the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting and had also held discussions earlier in January this year. However, the upcoming bilateral meeting will be their first face-to-face interaction since trade frictions flared up after President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods over the purchase of Russian oil.

Trump recently expressed confidence that they would face "no difficulty" in arriving at a deal.

There is also confusion and concern among Indians in the US on H-1B visas after Trump signed an executive order imposing a USD 1,00,000 fee on visas for skilled tech workers. The White House later clarified that the fee only applies to new applicants and not to current visa holders.

Earlier this month, during the Senate confirmation hearing for Sergio Gor, Trump's nominee for US Ambassador to India, Rubio described India as "one of the top relationships that the US has in the world today.

"Rubio, who had appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to introduce Gor, underscored the pivotal role of India in shaping the global future, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting that India was at the "core of that".

"Sergio Gor is the nominee to India (as US Ambassador), which is one of the top relationships that the US has in the world today, in terms of the future of what the world's going to look like. I said it earlier when I held the position as a nominee... In the 21st century, the story will be written in the Indo-Pacific. It's so important that we have changed the name of the combatant command in the Indo-Pacific. India is at the core of that. Rubio stated. (ANI)