Washington: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Canada.
EAM Jaishankar posted on X, “Good to meet @SecRubio this morning at #G7 FMM. Appreciate his condolences on the loss of lives in the blast in Delhi. Discussed our bilateral ties, focusing on trade and supply chains. Exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East/West Asia situation and Indo-Pacific.”
On Tuesday, Jaishankar held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Canada, Mexico, France, Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Germany.
India is participating in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as an invited partner under the Canadian presidency, alongside countries such as Brazil, Australia and South Korea.
The two-day event focuses on global security, economic resilience, energy cooperation and strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Jaishankar’s visit reflected India’s “continued commitment” to work with international partners.
“EAM’s participation in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting reflects India’s continued commitment to working with international partners in addressing global challenges and bolstering the voice of the Global South in international fora,” it added.
Jaishankar’s meeting with Rubio comes days after US President Donald Trump said that the US is very close to signing a trade agreement with India.
“We are making a deal with India, a much different deal than we had in the past…We’re getting a fair deal, just a fair trade deal. We’re getting close…I think we’re pretty close to doing a deal that’s good for everybody,” Trump said on Monday.
Trump made the remarks during the swearing-in ceremony of Sergio Gor, the next US ambassador to India.
Trump also said that he has a “fantastic relationship with Prime Minister Modi” and termed India one of America’s most “important international relationships.”
“I’m trusting Sergio to help strengthen one of our country’s most important international relationships, and that’s the strategic partnership with the Republic of India. It’s a big deal. India is home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations, the largest country in the world…We have a fantastic relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and Sergio has only enhanced that, because he’s already friendly with the Prime Minister,” he added.
(IANS)
