Misri meets senior officials in US ahead of Jaishankar’s visit

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri met senior American officials in Washington for discussions on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues ahead of a six-day visit to the US by external affairs minister S Jaishankar beginning on Tuesday.

Misri, who travelled to the US ahead of Jaishankar, met US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell and deputy secretary of state for management and resources Rich Verma at the state department on Monday 23 Dec  India’s envoy to the US, former foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, also participated in the meetings.

The meetings helped prepare the grounds for the visit by Jaishankar during December 24-29, which is expected to be the final engagement between the Indian side and the outgoing Joe Biden administration. Jaishankar is also expected to meet members of the transition team of Donald Trump, who is set to take over as president next month.

The external affairs ministry said on Monday that Jaishankar will meet his US counterparts to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues but did not give details of the planned meetings or his itinerary. “We look forward to continuing to grow #USIndia ties rooted in mutual trust, shared values, and prosperity for all,” Verma said on X.

Earlier on Monday, Verma and other US officials met a group of experts on India from various think tanks. Kwatra, Ashley Tellis, a former senior adviser at the US state department, and Lisa Curtis of the Center for a New American Security also participated in this meeting. The meet celebrated “our progress on trade, defence, people-to-people ties, and commitment to tackling global challenges together,” Verma said.

In a presentation on “US-India Relations: By the numbers”, Verma said two-way trade has jumped from $20 billion in 2000 to $195 billion in 2023, while defence trade increased from zero to $24 billion in the same period. Bilateral trade is now expected to cross $200 billion in 2024, he said.

During 2023, the US emerged as the largest source of remittances to India, while India became the top partner for military exercises with the US in 2024, according to information provided by Verma.