At a press briefing in Washington with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the partnership between the United States and India is “one of the most consequential in the world:”
“It’s vital to addressing virtually every global challenge that our people face, whether it’s health security, climate change, food security, upholding the free and open international order, to name just a few.”
In recent years the U.S. and India have made substantial progress in elevating that partnership through increased bilateral engagement, and multilateral discussions in the Quad, G20, and United Nations.
Secretary Blinken noted that during External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s speech to the General Assembly, the External Affairs Minister spoke out in support of the UN Charter and its founding principles. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also focused on the very challenges the United States highlighted at the UN: the crises of food, fuel, and fertilizers, all of which are exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine:
“We’ve been working to rally allies and partners not only to help people around the world most affected by these crises, but also to make sure that we are part of the solution to creating durable ways of dealing with these challenges.”
At the margins of the UN, the Quad nations met to continue to work toward a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is connected, secure, and prosperous. “We’re bringing complementary strengths to bear on problems none of us can address effectively alone,” said Secretary Blinken.
During their meetings in Washington, Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar also explored ways to keep building the U.S.-India economic partnership. The United States is India’s largest trading partner, with $157 billion last year in bilateral trade; and the United States is India’s largest source of foreign direct investment.
But it is as the world’s two largest democracies that the United States and India are bound in what Secretary Blinken called “an enduring project:” the striving to form a more perfect union, where the needs of the people are met, and universal human rights are respected.
“No two countries have a greater ability …opportunity, and responsibility to try to shape the future of this century,” declared Secretary Blinken. “And…we are thinking together and working together in ways that we haven’t before.”
The United States and India - A Consequential Partnership
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the partnership between the United States and India is “one of the most consequential in the world."
