US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls on PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed President Joe Biden’s strong commitment to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“Good to meet US Secretary of State @SecBlinken today. I welcome President Biden’s strong commitment to strengthen the India-US Strategic Partnership, which is anchored in our shared democratic values and is a force for global good,” the prime minister tweeted.

Blinken called on Modi after holding wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The talks covered a range of issues including the situation in Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific engagements and COVID-19 response mechanism among others.

Blinken also held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with a focus on taking the relationship to the “next level”.

The US Secretary of State arrived here on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit with an extensive agenda for talks.

This is Blinken’s first visit to India after assuming charge as the US Secretary of State and the third by a high-ranking Biden administration official after it came to power in January.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India in March while US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry travelled to New Delhi in April.