India a leader and key US ally in Afghanistan, says Antony Blinken
New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
The PM welcomed President Joe Biden’s commitment to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership. In the meeting, Modi conveyed his warm greetings to President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and his appreciation for the initiatives taken by President Biden including those related to the Quad, Covid-19 and climate change. It said Secretary Blinken appreciated the increasing convergence between India and US on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, and the commitment of both strategic partners to convert this convergence into concrete and practical cooperation. Blinken briefed Modi on his fruitful exchanges with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval earlier in the day.
Blinken also held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with a focus on taking the relationship to the "next level".
Afghanistan conflict
The US on Wednesday said that there can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict and India has and will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan’s stability and development as a leader and a critical American partner in the region. The clear assertion was made by visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar after the two sides held extensive discussions on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and other issues. The US Secretary of State said that ultimately it has to be an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in Afghanistan, a position that has been pushed by India consistently for the last several years.
Eye on China
Blinken held a meeting with a senior representative of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in a clear signal to China about the Biden administration's continued support to the Tibetan cause. In the meeting, Ngodup Dongchung, an official in the Tibetan government-in-exile and representative of the Dalai Lama, thanked Blinken for the continued support.
