External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, held a phone conversation on Tuesday with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in which the two talked about increasing India-US cooperation in areas of trade, critical minerals, nuclear energy and defence.
Jaishankar said later it was a “good conversation” and the two agreed to remain in touch.
“Just concluded a good conversation with @SecRubio. Discussed trade, critical minerals, nuclear cooperation, defence and energy,” he said on social media.
“Agreed to remain in touch on these and other issues,” he added.
The US State Department mentioned the issues discussed by the two, and said Rubio congratulated India on enacting the sustainable harnessing and advancement of nuclear energy for transforming India (SHANTI) bill.
Rubio has expressed interest in capitalising on this “important development to enhance US-India civil nuclear cooperation and expand opportunities for American companies”, it said.
“Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar discussed ongoing bilateral trade agreement negotiations and their shared interest in strengthening economic cooperation.” “They also exchanged perspectives on regional developments, reaffirming the United States’ and India’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.
The phone call between Jaishankar and Rubio came a day after newly-appointed US ambassador, Sergio Gor, said “no partner is more essential [to the US] than India” and hinted at trade talks gaining some momentum.
“Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow,” he said.
Also Read: India, Luxembourg to be partners in fintech, AI growth: EAM
“No partner is more essential than India. In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. We will do this as true strategic partners, each bringing strength, respect and leadership to the table,” he added.
India and the US have been discussing a possible bilateral trade agreement since last year that hit numerous roadblocks, including the imposition of steep 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods by the administration of US President Donald Trump, partly for buying Russian crude.
Despite multiple rounds of negotiations to finalise a deal, both countries could not reach any consensus, especially when it came to opening up India’s dairy and farm sectors to US products, one of Washington’s demands.
The phone conversation between Jaishankar and Rubio also came on a day Trump announced that a 25 per cent tariff will be levied on countries doing business with Iran.
However, sources in the Indian government said the new tariff is expected to have “minimal impact” on India as volume of trade between India and Iran is currently less than USD 2 billion.
Last year, India’s trade with Iran was USD 1.6 billion, which is approximately 0.15 per cent of India’s total trade, they said.
Follow us
