US deputy secretary of State William Burns on Thursday called on external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and had discussions with foreign secretary Sujatha Singh to chalk out the path to the forthcoming Strategic Dialogue as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with American President Barack Obama.
"The discussions centred on all aspects of our bilateral relations, particularly economic engagement. Burns and Singh also exchanged (views on) a variety of regional and international issues including situation in Iraq and Afghanistan," official sources said.
Burns' visit is in advance of the Indo-US dialogue, to be chaired by Swaraj and her American counterpart John Kerry who will be here on July 31.
Kerry and Swaraj will also be preparing the ground for a bilateral meeting between Modi and Obama who had invited the Indian leader for a meeting in Washington in September.
Obama was among the first ones to call up Modi and congratulate him on his "emphatic election victory" and said the largest democracy in the world has given a "decisive mandate."