U.S. Deputy Secretary lauds resumption of vaccine exports
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday held talks with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who later said India, U.S. partnership was “indispensable” for both countries and the world.
Describing the partnership during a public address to the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC)’s India Ideas Summit shortly after the meeting, Mr. Shringla indicated that the future of the Indo-Pacific region, and the situation in Afghanistan were at the top of their discussions.
“Given the fast-paced developments in South Asia, especially in Afghanistan, India and the U.S. will remain closely engaged both on the future of Afghanistan, and on how we can maintain peace and stability in South Asia, and beyond,” Mr. Shringla said.
However, Ms. Sherman reiterated U.S. concerns over India’s 2018 agreement with Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile systems, which she described as dangerous.
The delivery of the systems to India later this year is expected to trigger sanctions under the U.S.’s CAATSA law, which Washington has already imposed on Turkey and China for buying the S-400.
India and the U.S. are expected to meet for a number of bilateral functions over the next few weeks, including the Defence Policy Dialogue headed by Defence Secretaries in Washington this weekend, the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism on October 26th, leading up to the “2+2” meeting of Defence and Foreign Ministers.
A delegation from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative is in Delhi for trade talks this week, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to travel to Washington “soon”, said government sources.
When asked if the U.S. is discussing the possibility of cooperating on sourcing military bases with India, or with countries like Uzbekistan and Pakistan, which are part of her current tour, Ms. Sherman, speaking at a roundtable with journalists, said the U.S. is discussing its options for airstrikes on Afghanistan through “over the horizon” (OTH) efforts, but did not elaborate further on India’s response.
Vaccine partnership
Ms. Sherman and Mr. Shringla also spoke “at length” about the Quad vaccine partnership which will entail manufacturing one billion J&J American vaccines in India by end 2022, said sources, but denied that the issue of indemnity clauses, which India insists on, will be a roadblock to the Quad proposals. Ms. Sherman said she had “applauded” India’s decision to resume its vaccine exports that were cancelled during the pandemic’s second wave.
M. Sherman will travel to Mumbai on Thursday for meetings with business persons, and will head to Pakistan after that.
India, U.S. to work closely on Afghanistan: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla
U.S. Deputy Secretary lauds resumption of vaccine exports
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday held talks with visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who later said India, U.S. partnership was “indispensable” for both countries and the world.
Describing the partnership during a public address to the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC)’s India Ideas Summit shortly after the meeting, Mr. Shringla indicated that the future of the Indo-Pacific region, and the situation in Afghanistan were at the top of their discussions.
“Given the fast-paced developments in South Asia, especially in Afghanistan, India and the U.S. will remain closely engaged both on the future of Afghanistan, and on how we can maintain peace and stability in South Asia, and beyond,” Mr. Shringla said.
However, Ms. Sherman reiterated U.S. concerns over India’s 2018 agreement with Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile systems, which she described as dangerous.
The delivery of the systems to India later this year is expected to trigger sanctions under the U.S.’s CAATSA law, which Washington has already imposed on Turkey and China for buying the S-400.
India and the U.S. are expected to meet for a number of bilateral functions over the next few weeks, including the Defence Policy Dialogue headed by Defence Secretaries in Washington this weekend, the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism on October 26th, leading up to the “2+2” meeting of Defence and Foreign Ministers.
A delegation from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative is in Delhi for trade talks this week, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to travel to Washington “soon”, said government sources.
When asked if the U.S. is discussing the possibility of cooperating on sourcing military bases with India, or with countries like Uzbekistan and Pakistan, which are part of her current tour, Ms. Sherman, speaking at a roundtable with journalists, said the U.S. is discussing its options for airstrikes on Afghanistan through “over the horizon” (OTH) efforts, but did not elaborate further on India’s response.
Vaccine partnership
Ms. Sherman and Mr. Shringla also spoke “at length” about the Quad vaccine partnership which will entail manufacturing one billion J&J American vaccines in India by end 2022, said sources, but denied that the issue of indemnity clauses, which India insists on, will be a roadblock to the Quad proposals. Ms. Sherman said she had “applauded” India’s decision to resume its vaccine exports that were cancelled during the pandemic’s second wave.
M. Sherman will travel to Mumbai on Thursday for meetings with business persons, and will head to Pakistan after that.
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