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Washington: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is currently on a visit to the US following the recent agreement on a trade deal with President Donald Trump. Jaishankar held a meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio on Tuesday (February 4). After the meeting, S. Jaishankar, who is in the US, gave information about his visit. He said that these two days have proved to be very fruitful.

Speaking
about his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said, “We reviewed our bilateral cooperation in detail. When foreign ministers meet, it’s natural to discuss the diplomatic agenda, as well as what we expect from each other this year. A large part of our conversation focused on bilateral issues. We discussed the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Middle East, what’s happening in Gaza, and the Ukraine conflict. We also had a global review of what’s happening in the Western Hemisphere. In a way, we discussed the world and our relations, and it was a very open conversation.”

Speaking about his US visit, Jaishankar said, “I’m here to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial, which was convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several countries, about 50 countries were here. The meeting is still ongoing today, and that was the main reason. The discussions were very good. Critical minerals is a very important topic. The US has been our partner for some years. Today they launched a new edition – FORGE, which we supported. This is a success for the Mineral Security Partnership. For me, it was a productive and result-oriented meeting.”

He further said, “I had a bilateral meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and also with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant. And today, because so many foreign ministers were here, there were several small meetings, and I tried to understand where our relationship stands. So, it’s been a very productive two days.”

Detailing of trade talks underway: Jaishankar
On the US-India trade deal, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said, “It wasn’t directly with me, as it’s being handled by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. There were talks between the Prime Minister and the US President, from which some announcements were made. After that, as we speak, the details of trade talks are underway.” On the timeline of the trade deal, he said, “It’s difficult for me to say, and the Commerce Minister would know better, as he’s directly involved with the US Trade Representative.”