U.S.-India foreign office consultations

#Wasington; #USDptOfState; #UICGSP; #Covid19Pandeic; #VaccineDevelopment

Washington, Jul 7 (Canadian-Media): U.S.-India cooperation on a full range of international issues was  discussed by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla during a virtual Foreign Office Consultations on July 7, 2020, media reports said.

Image credit: Twitter handle

Concrete steps were taken to strengthen the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership (UICGSP) established by their leaders.

Included in the discussions were ongoing threats to the rules-based international order, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic cooperation, maritime security, and the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was agreed by Hale and Shringla to consult closely on all challenges and endeavor to support each other’s objectives.

They also agreed that U.S.-India health partnership will continue to play a critical role in the world’s recovery from COVID-19, including cooperation on pharmaceutical and vaccine development. 

In addition, Hale and Shringla affirmed the U.S. and Indian visions of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where all countries can prosper, and agreed to work with other Indo-Pacific partners to bring these visions to reality.

​Both officials look forward to this year’s U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and pledged to remain in close contact on regional and international issues of mutual concern.