New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) US Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has concluded his “productive” visit to India which included meetings in New Delhi with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, members of parliament besides the US and Indian business leaders, the US Embassy in India stated on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his January 17-19 visit, Daines said, “I came to India to reaffirm our two countries’ shared values and strategic partnership and to advocate on behalf of Montana’s pulse crop farmers. I appreciated Minister Goyal for listening to our farmers’ concerns and will continue to work with President Trump to press this important priority.”
According to the US Mission India, during his meetings with senior Indian officials and parliamentarians, Daines discussed the growing US-India defence cooperation, mutual efforts to secure supply chains, and the importance of the US-India strategic partnership to ensuring shared security and preserving a stable and open Indo-Pacific region.
“While in India, Sen. Daines pursued interests of the Trump Administration as well as the people of Montana, including urging favourable pulse crop provisions in any future trade agreements between the United States and India. Montana is the top producer of pulse crops in the United States, and India is the top consumer in the world. Sen. Daines sought acceleration of the active and ongoing talks towards concluding a fair and reciprocal bilateral trade deal,” read a statement issued by the Embassy after the conclusion of the Senator’s visit.
Daines also spoke with representatives of the business community to highlight the many opportunities to deepen cooperation on advanced technologies and expand trade and investment ties to enhance prosperity in both the United States and India.
“As we work to take the partnership between our two nations to the next level in cooperation, I will ensure that senior government officials will regularly travel to India. As a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with extensive experience in Asia, Senator Daines’ meetings with official and private sector stakeholders in New Delhi were instrumental in advancing our bilateral relationship,” said US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
Daines met EAM Jaishankar in the capital on Sunday, discussing bilateral ties and its strategic significance.
Following their talks, EAM Jaishankar wrote in a post on X, “A pleasure meeting Senator Steve Daines this morning in Delhi. A wide ranging and open discussion on our bilateral relationship and its strategic significance.”
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke over phone with EAM Jaishankar, reviewing key areas of cooperation, including civil nuclear energy, trade talks, and regional security in the Indo-Pacific.
“Discussed trade, critical minerals, nuclear cooperation, defence, and energy. Agreed to remain in touch on these and other issues,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X after the call.
Gor had described it as a positive call.
“They discussed next steps regarding our bilateral trade negotiations, critical minerals, and a possible meeting next month,” Gor wrote on X.
–IANS
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