SME Times News Bureau | 30 Jul, 2014
US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive New Delhi on Wednesday
for talks on key issues with the new government under the leadership of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, reports media.
Kerry's visit two months ahead of Modi's trip to Washington in September end is
aimed at instilling some vigor into the bilateral ties, which appeared to have
lost momentum in the final years of UPA regime.
During his three-day visit, Kerry will co-chair the fifth India-US Strategic
Dialogue on 31st July along with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on
crucial issues of Strategic Cooperation; Energy and Climate Change, Education
and Development; Economy, Trade and Agriculture; Science and Technology, Health
and Innovation.
Ahead of his visit, Kerry in Washington said "This is a potentially
transformative moment in our partnership with India, and we're determined to
deliver on the strategic and historic opportunities that we can create
together" and added that "The US and India can and should be indispensable
partners for the 21st century."
He will call on Modi, who has been invited by American President Barack Obama
for a meeting in Washington in September.
India-US ties hit a low at the end of last year after senior Indian diplomat
Devyani Khobragade was arrested in New York, strip-searched and charged with
visa fraud for allegedly underpaying her babysitter.
Kerry is also expected to visit Bengaluru and will also be joined by the
Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, who will be visiting Mumbai prior to
participating in the Strategic Dialogue.
The US Secretary of State will be accompanied by a high- level inter-agency
delegation and apart from Pritzker, the delegation includes Deputy Secretary of
the Department of Energy Daniel Poneman, Under Secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security Francis X Taylor and the US Special Envoy for Climate Change
in the Department of State Todd Stern.