S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, vows to support each other amid COVID-19 crisis

Jaishankar thanked the US for the 'strong support and solidarity at the moment of great difficulty' for India.

Photo: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar

New Delhi: India and the United States on Friday (May 28, 2021) vowed to support each other amid the COVID-19 crisis during the second physical meet between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

Jaishankar standing alongside the US Secretary of State said, "Our relations have grown strong over the years and I am very confident that it will continue to do so."

The External Affairs Minister also thanked the US for the 'strong support and solidarity at the moment of great difficulty' for India. 

Also focused on Indo-US vaccine partnership aimed at expanding access and ensuring supply.

Appreciated strong solidarity expressed by US at this time.

Today's talks have further solidified our strategic partnership and enlarged our agenda of cooperation. — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 28, 2021

Responding to this, the US Secretary of State said, "We know, we remember in the earlier days of COVID-19, India was there for the US, something we will never forget, and now we want to make sure that we are there for India."

Calling EAM Jaishankar, friend and colleague, Blinken said, "The US and India are working together on so many of the most important challenges of our time, one those are having a profound impact on the lives of our citizens."

He highlighted how both countries are 'united in confronting COVID-19' and the challenge posed by climate change even as they have partnered directly through the quad, other institutions like the UN and partnership between the US and India is vital, it is strong and increasingly productive.

Productive discussion today with @DrSJaishankar on regional security and economic priorities to include U.S. COVID-19 relief efforts, India-China border situation, and our support for Afghanistan. As friends, we will work together to address these areas of shared concern. pic.twitter.com/BtoGJTUGEr — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 28, 2021

This is to be noted that amid the second wave of coronavirus in India, the US has sent assistance which included 20,000 courses of remdesivir, 1,500 oxygen cylinders, nearly 550 mobile oxygen concentrators, over 2.5 million N95 masks and a large-scale Deployable Oxygen Concentration System. 

Both sides have been engaging with each other on dealing with the crisis, especially under the Quad grouping of -- the US, India, Australia, and Japan. 

After the first virtual summit that took place earlier this year, it was decided that more COVID-19 vaccines will be manufactured under the Quad Covid Vaccine initiative. 

Both the foreign ministers had met earlier this year in London on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign minister meeting. 

Jaishankar is on a week-long visit to the US, during which he has so far held talks with the US defense secretary and USTR in Washington.