US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday to discuss ways to further bilateral ties amid a dispute with Canada over the killing of a Sikh activist.
In a statement, S Jaishankar said it was good to be back in the United States, noting that the Indian prime minister visited last summer. He also thanked the US government for supporting the G20 Summit.
US-India State Talks
On the other hand, Blinken said he had "very good discussions" over the last few weeks, including at the G20 Summit and on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. He noted that he looked forward to discussing with the Indian external affairs minister.
While officials from both countries are tightlipped about the exact agenda of the state talks, the latest diplomatic crisis between Canada and India, considered allies of the US, is expected to prominently during the discussions, as per NDTV.
In a statement on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they have engaged with their Indian counterparts regarding the situation and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation. He added that they will continue encouraging New Delhi to cooperate with the efforts.
While the meeting between Blinken and S Jaishankar was scheduled before the Canadian controversy, the US has urged India to cooperate in the Canadian investigation over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia early this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that the Indian government was responsible for the killing of the Sikh leader, which occurred on June 18. On the other hand, India, which designated the victim as a terrorist in 2020, rejected the accusations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated."
Sikh Leader's Death in Canada
Miller noted after the meeting that Blinken and S Jaishankar discussed a range of issues, including the outcomes of India's G20 presidency and the creation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor as well as its potential to generate transparent, sustainable, and high-standard infrastructure investments, according to the Associated Press.
He also said the two diplomats covered cooperation's continued importance before the upcoming 2+2 dialogue. They were said to have tackled defense, space, and clean energy issues. The dialogue is a former for meetings between the US and Indian foreign and defense ministers.
Trudeau said that American officials had contacted them, saying that they were in talks with the Indian government regarding the importance of following up on the credible allegations that their agents were responsible for killing a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
Najjar fatally shot outside of a Sikh temple in British Columbia, was a vocal supporter of a Sikh separatist movement in India. Blinken noted that the Biden administration is "deeply concerned" about Canada's allegations against India, adding that Washington was already working with Ottawa to address the controversy, said Aljazeera.
