First Ministerial of India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue to be held on Sept. 22

The first Ministerial of the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) will be held in Washington DC on September 22.

It is the most comprehensive mechanism for discussion and deliberation on the specifics of bilateral agenda of cooperation in different fields.

India and the United States launched the ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue in July 2009. Its first meeting was held in Washington DC in June 2010, followed by successive rounds in New Delhi on July 2011, Washington DC (June 2012) and New Delhi (June 2013 and July 2014).

The decision to elevate the India-US Strategic Dialogue into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was taken during the visit of US President Barack Obama to India in January 2015.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will lead the Indian delegation to the S&CD. The delegation includes Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal. The Indian delegation for the S&CD will have senior officials from various ministries/departments of the Government of India.

The US delegation would include Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. They will be accompanied by a high-level inter-agency delegation.

During the S&CD, several bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest would be discussed between the two sides. The S&CD is expected to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and the US and also identify possible areas for future cooperation including in strategic, defense and security; energy and environment; science and technology and space; health, education and human development; third country engagement; economy and finance; and trade and investment fields.

The following bilateral dialogue mechanisms are also being held on the sidelines of the S&CD:

Official level Sub Group Meeting of India-US Energy Dialogue (September 17-18, 2015); Secretary-level India-US Health Dialogue (September 17-18); Ministerial India-US Energy Dialogue (September 21);

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