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Antony Blinken arrives in India, to meet PM Modi, S Jaishankar tomorrow
Antony Blinken would hold bilateral talks with foreign minister S Jaishnakar on the situation in Afghanistan and global response towards Covid-19.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down in New Delhi on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit.
The top US diplomat would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar as well as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during his maiden visit to India after assuming the office of the US Secretary of State in Biden Administration.
Blinken and Jaishankar are expected to talk on a range of issues, including the security crisis in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the US troop pullout, China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and coordinated Covid-19 response.
The agenda of the forthcoming Quad summit in the US in October will also be discussed.
The two countries are expected to deepen their bilateral cooperation with India set to buy Predator drones from the US for national security.
Jaishankar and Blinken have met thrice in the past year, with the latest coinciding with the Indian foreign minister's visit to the United States in May.
During the visit, the two leaders spoke on a wide range of issues, including Covid-19 relief, efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad initiative, the security situation in Afghanistan and combatting climate change, among others.
Blinken would be the third high-ranking official of the Biden Administration to visit India after US Secretary of Defence Llyod J Austin flew to New Delhi in March, followed by special envoy for climate change John Kerry in April.
