Defence, trade, tech discussed during foreign secy Misri's visit to US

Foreign Secretary Misri held wide-ranging talks with officials from the US State Department, National Security Council, Defence, Treasury, and Commerce departments

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Washington DC from May 27 to 29, where he held a series of high-level engagements with senior officials of the US Administration.

Foreign Secretary Misri held wide-ranging discussions with counterparts across the Department of State, National Security Council, Department of Defence, Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The visit was a follow-up to the Prime Minister's visit to the United States on February 13, during which both sides launched the India-US COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.

Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor was also part of the Indian delegation. 

According to MEA, at a luncheon meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral agenda. They underscored that Technology, Trade, and Talent would be the key pillars shaping the India-US partnership in the 21st century.

In meetings with Deputy Secretary of Defence Steve Feinberg and Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to a robust and forward-looking defence partnership. Discussions focused on co-production and co-development initiatives, sustained joint military exercises, logistics and information-sharing frameworks, and enhancing interoperability between the armed forces, MEA said.

Vikram Misri met with Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender, the Foreign Secretary and discussed ways to deepen economic and financial ties, including collaboration in international financial institutions and coordination in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) processes. 

In his meeting with Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler, both sides reviewed progress on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, and the need to streamline ITAR and export control regulations. They agreed to convene the next meeting of the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue at the earliest opportunity, according to MEA.

Consistent with the vision outlined in the COMPACT, detailed inter-agency discussions were also held on a range of strategic areas, including defence cooperation, energy security, the TRUST initiative, counter-terrorism, the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture, and collaboration through platforms such as the Quad, I2U2, and IMEEC.

Foreign Secretary Misri, along with DNSA Kapoor, jointly chaired a roundtable with industry representatives, focusing on deepening bilateral collaboration in critical and emerging technologies. Additionally, they held a substantive interaction with members of the think tank community, covering the full breadth of the India-US strategic partnership, MEA said.