E-Paper
US envoy-designate Sergio Gor meets PM Modi, S Jaishankar amid strain in ties
Sergio Gor, a member of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, is in India with deputy secretary for management and resources Michael J Rigas for a six-day visit to meet senior Indian functionaries
New Delhi: US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday and held talks on bilateral relations amid persisting strain over the trade and tariff policies of the Donald Trump administration that have taken ties to their lowest point in nearly two decades.
Gor, a member of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, is in India with deputy secretary for management and resources Michael J Rigas for a six-day visit to meet senior Indian functionaries. Besides Modi and Jaishankar, Gor also met foreign secretary Vikram Misri for discussions centred round the bilateral strategic partnership and shared priorities.
The trip by Gor, who is expected to present his credentials and formally take over as the ambassador only in January, is being seen as part of efforts by the US administration to restore the bilateral relationship to an even keel. While differences over trade-related issues continue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after a phone call with Trump on Thursday that the two sides reviewed “good progress achieved in trade negotiations”.
There was no official word from both sides regarding Gor’s meetings.
Modi said on social media he was glad to receive Gor, and added: ‘I’m confident that his tenure will further strengthen the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.”
Jaishankar said on social media that he met the ambassador-designate and discussed the “India-US relationship and its global significance”. “Wish him the best for his new responsibility,” Jaishankar said without giving details.
Misri and Gor had a “productive exchange on the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and its shared priorities”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
The US embassy said in a social media post that Gor is meeting Indian government counterparts to “discuss opportunities to further deepen our ambitious strategic partnership and promote a safer, stronger, and more prosperous relationship”.
Earlier, the US state department said Gor’s meetings in India will touch on a range of bilateral issues.
Following positive exchanges between Modi and Trump, a US team led by assistant trade representative Brendan Lynch travelled to New Delhi to resume discussions on a bilateral trade agreement, which were stalled after the US president hit India with 50% tariffs, including a 25% punitive levy over Russian oil purchases. This was followed by visits to the US by commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Jaishankar.
Forward movement on trade-related issues is also crucial for setting up a potential meeting between Modi and Trump on the margins of the upcoming Asean Summit in Malaysia, provided both leaders decide to travel to Kuala Lumpur. Both India and the US are yet to formally announce if the leaders will attend meetings related to the Asean Summit later this month.
At his confirmation hearing in the US Senate last month, Gor said “India is one of the most important relationships America has in the world and a strategic partner whose trajectory will shape the region and beyond”. He also said at the time that “India and the US are not that far apart on making a trade deal”.
