Foreign Secretary Shringla, US Deputy Secretary Sherman discuss coordination on Afghanistan

Washington: Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla met with US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman and discussed a broad range of shared priorities, including continued coordination on Afghanistan, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday (September 2, 2021).

"They discussed a broad range of shared priorities, including continued coordination on Afghanistan, strengthening Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad, addressing the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, and preparations for upcoming dialogues, such as the 2+2 Ministerial," Price said in a statement.

"Deputy Secretary Sherman and Foreign Secretary Shringla agreed to remain closely coordinated on shared goals and priorities to deepen the US-India partnership," he added.

Taking to Twitter, Sherman said, "I met with Indian Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla to discuss shared priorities including coordination on Afghanistan, strengthening Indo-Pacific cooperation via the Quad, and addressing the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic."

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Responding to Sherman`s tweet, Shringla thanked the US deputy secretary of state for engaging on issues of mutual importance.

"Thank you for the opportunity to engage so extensively on issues of mutual importance," Shringla tweeted.

Earlier, Shringla also called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and held discussions on bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, India and the US also held a bilateral 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting in Washington DC and exchanged assessments on developments in South Asia, the Indo-Pacific region and the western Indian Ocean. Both sides reviewed the progress made since the last 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in October 2020 and preparations for the forthcoming dialogue later this year.

"The two sides took stock of the progress and developments in the bilateral agenda under the India-US strategic partnership, including defence, global public health, economic and commercial cooperation, science and technology, clean energy and climate finance, and people to people ties," a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed. 

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