India, US discuss COP26, expanding global access to Covid-19 vaccines

Indian external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Antony Blinken discussed a “gamut of issues”including expanding global access to Covid-19 vaccines, elevating climate ambition at COP26.

Indian external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Antony Blinken discussed a “gamut of issues” at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken (left) and India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome on Saturday. They discussed a “gamut of issues”including expanding global access to Covid-19 vaccines, elevating climate ambition at COP26. (AFP)

“Discussed a wide gamut of issues relating to our partnership. Updated each other on important regional concerns,” Jaishankar wrote in a tweet.

Ned Price, the US state department spokesperson, said in a readout issues discussed by the two included “efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad and expand cooperation on common regional priorities”.

The two officials also discussed cooperation on expanding global access to Covid-19 vaccines, elevating climate ambition at COP26, and reinforcing their mutual commitments to and support for shared democratic values, Price added.

Jaishankar and Blinken are scheduled to meet in Washington DC later in November for the 2+2 ministerial dialogue, at which they will be joined by their defence cabinet colleagues Rajnath Singh and Lloyd Austin.