India Gains Special Spotlight as Trump Takes Office, Bilateral Talks Begin with Jaishankar
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): US President Donald Trump has given special importance to India, indicating his policies and priorities soon after taking oath. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Walz held their first bilateral and international meetings with India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was representing the Indian government at the swearing-in ceremony of President Trump as the 47th President in Washington DC. This important meeting was held at the US State Department headquarters in Foggy Bottom. After the bilateral talks, the Quad ministerial meeting was also held, in which foreign ministers of India, America, Japan, and Australia participated.
During this, the India-US strategic partnership was discussed in detail. This meeting took place shortly after Rubio assumed office. The two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral relations. US Ambassador to India Vinay Kwatra was also present in this meeting. These meetings clearly indicate that India-US relations are among the priorities of the Trump administration and cooperation between the two countries is expected to strengthen in the future.
After the meeting, Rubio and Jaishankar shook hands and posed for photographs in front of the international media. Jaishankar tweeted about the meeting, "I had my first bilateral meeting with Marco Rubio after officially assuming office. We reviewed our comprehensive bilateral partnership and shared views on regional and global issues."
Soon after this meeting, Jaishankar attended the first Quad meeting of the Trump administration along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi. Let us tell you that the Quad is a security and diplomatic alliance of four countries, which aims to protect peace and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region.
Jaishankar tweeted, Attended a productive Quad Ministerial meeting in Washington DC today. This meeting took place just hours after the formation of the Trump administration. This is an indication that the Quad is being given priority in the foreign policy of the member countries. After these meetings, Jaishankar also met Mike Walz, who is the new National Security Advisor of the Trump administration. This was Walz's first international meeting. The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral friendship and increasing cooperation to enhance global stability and prosperity.