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Indo-US Ties
The US has returned 657 antiquities collectively valued at nearly USD 14 million to India, saying there is "more work to be done" to return stolen artifacts to the country. The return was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday. The pieces were recovered following several investigations into trafficking networks, including those related to disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. The pieces were returned at an event attended by Consul Rajlakshmi Kadam from the Consulate General of India in New York. "The scale of the trafficking networks that targeted cultural heritage in India is massive, as demonstrated by the return of more than 600 pieces today," Bragg said in a statement. "There is unfortunately more work to be done to return stolen artifacts back to India, and I thank our team for their persistent efforts." Consul General of India in New York, Binaya Pradhan, appreciated the sustained cooperation of the Manhattan Dist
India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and discussed the energy partnership between the two countries. Kwatra received Wright and his wife Liz at the India House here. "Honoured to host @SecretaryWright and Mrs. Wright at India House. Productive conversation on a range of subjects including the India-US energy partnership," Kwatra said in a post on X. The US is keen to cooperate with India on civil nuclear cooperation in addition to other areas, such as coal gasification and US LPG exports. India has increased its energy imports from the US over the past year amid trade pact negotiations with Washington. India is the largest buyer of US coal globally with coking coal contributing 40 per cent of the total 20 million tonnes (mt) of coal imported by New Delhi from the US in FY25. Earlier this week, GAIL (India) Limited flagged off an LNG vessel from a US terminal, signalling deeper India-US cooperation in securing cleaner fuel
India is a "tough nut to crack", US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said here as a delegation from New Delhi wrapped up negotiations on the bilateral trade agreement with Washington. The 12-member delegation, led by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, held talks on the fine print of the trade deal with the US team led by Brendan Lynch, Assistant USTR for South and Central Asia. The three-day talks concluded on Wednesday. "India is a tough nut to crack... they've protected their agricultural markets for a very long time," Greer told the Committee on Ways and Means of the US Congress on Wednesday. "As part of this deal, they want to protect a lot of that. There are things, though, where I think we can find mutual agreement. DDGs (distillers dried grains) is a good example of this," he said. Greer was responding to questions by lawmakers on exports of DDGs, which are used as high-protein livestock feed, soybean meal and ethanol. The USTR said the US
Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien here. The meeting on Wednesday comes as India and the US are negotiating the finer elements of a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). A delegation of Indian officials is expected to visit the US to hold discussions on the bilateral trade agreement. "Honored to host Amb. Jamieson Greer and Amb. Robert O'Brien at India House today," Kwatra said in a post on X on Wednesday. In February, India and the US announced finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. According to that framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on India to 18 per cent. "We had productive conversation on a range of bilateral cooperation opportunities. Also discussed important developments across the world. Appreciate their strong and continuing support for strong India-US ties," Kwatra said. Bilateral trade was part of the discussion d
India and the US on Thursday agreed to further their cooperation under Pax Silica and broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals. The issues figured during discussions Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had here with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob S Helberg. "Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a productive meeting with the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg @UnderSecE. They agreed to take forward cooperation under Pax Silica and the broader economic and technology engagements, including in AI and critical minerals," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. India formally joined Pax Silica on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in February, marking a significant step in technology cooperation between New Delhi and Washington. Pax Silica brings strategic partnerships and coordinated action across every layer of the supply chain. Misri is on a three-day visit to the US to review the ...
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met senior US defence official Michael Duffey and discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between the two countries. Misri, who is on a three-day visit here, had a "fruitful interaction" with Duffey, the Under Secretary in the Department of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment at the Pentagon near here. "Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had a fruitful interaction with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment Mike Duffey @USDASDuffey at the Pentagon," the Indian Embassy in the US said in a post on X. "The two principals discussed ways to further deepen the defence industrial, technology and supply chain linkages between India and the US, in line with the ambitious goals laid out in the Framework for the bilateral Major Defence Partnership signed last year," the embassy said. Misri also met under secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt in the Department of ...
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in the next few months, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said on Friday. The envoy also said that the India-US trade deal is set to be inked soon. Gor also described the Quad coalition as an important grouping for cooperation among its member states. The envoy said India and the US are taking their bilateral ties to the next level. Gor made the remarks on the sidelines of an event at the AI Impact Summit here.
A three-day meeting between Indian and American officials to finalise the legal text for an interim trade agreement will begin in the US on February 23, an official said on Friday. Earlier this month, India and the US released a joint statement to announce that a framework for an interim trade agreement has been finalised. The joint statement lays down the contours of the deal. Now, the contours of the deal have to be translated into a legal agreement, which will be signed between the two sides. It is expected to be signed in March. The Indian and the US team will start their three-day meeting from Monday, the official said. Indian team will be headed by chief negotiator Darpan Jain, who is a joint secretary in the Commerce Ministry. Under the interim trade pact, both sides would extend duty concessions to each other on a number of goods traded between them. The US has announced that it will reduce the reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. It has alr
US Ambassador Sergio Gor and Admiral Samuel J Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, visited the Indian Army's Western Command headquarters on Monday and held discussions with Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar on strategic security dynamics along India's Western Front. Gor said the US-India defence partnership continues to grow stronger. He said the joint efforts of the two countries are key to a safe Indo-Pacific. "US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia and #USINDOPACOM Commander, Adm Samuel J. Paparo, @sjpaparo visited HQ Western Command and held substantive discussions with Lt Gen #ManojKumarKatiyar, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, Army Commander, #WesternCommand, on strategic security dynamics along India's Western Front," the Western Command of the Indian Army said in a post on X. The Western Command headquarters is located in Chandimandir in Haryana's Panchkula. The delegation was comprehensively briefed on the Western Front perspective, including operational ...
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Monday enthusiastically welcomes US President Donald Trump's announcement following his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which reaffirms their shared commitment to deepen the USIndia economic partnership and advance a bilateral trade agreement. India and the US agreed on a trade deal under which Washington will bring down the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent, US President Donald Trump announced on Monday in a Truth Social post. USISPF said that the reduction of India's reciprocal tariff marks "an important and positive first step." "While the agreement's specifics are pending, today's announcement signals strong political will on both sides to move toward a comprehensive USIndia Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that addresses tariffs, market access, non-tariff barriers, and other trade-related issues across a wide range of sectors," it said. A BTA between the two nations
Top bipartisan American lawmakers and political leaders hailed the India-US ties and contributions of the Indian diaspora, saying the partnership is "vital" for peace and stability around the globe and called for further strengthening bilateral ties. The Consulate General of India in New York hosted a special reception here Saturday to commemorate the 77th Republic Day of India. Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan and Deputy Consul General Vishal Harsh welcomed the dignitaries at the reception. The reception was attended by government officials, leaders from business, academia and culture, several prominent members of the Indian-American community, members of the diplomatic corps and guests from various spheres of life. Addressing the gathering, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer underlined that the Indian community in his state is "our fastest immigrant community in Delaware, as it is in many places across the country." He recalled the immigrant journey of the .