US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu. Photo: state.gov
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu will be in India The US State Department has announced that there will be bilateral and Bangladeshi bilateral talks between the two countries from September 10 to 16. Mr Lu will be in India for the US-India “2+2” Foreign and Defense Ministry inter-sessional talks.
Jedidiah P. Royal, a top US Defense Department official for Indo Pacific strategy, will represent the Defense Department at the talks in New Delhi. The sixth annual 2+2 dialogue is expected to be held in Washington DC this year, led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from the Indian side and their counterparts US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from the US side.
“The [ Intersessional ] The State Department said, “The talks will identify opportunities to enhance the US-India bilateral partnership, including defense cooperation, and expand US-India cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” The talks came ten days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US for the Quad (grouping of India, the US, Australia and Japan) summit, hosted by US President Joe Biden in Delaware, and the “Summit of the Future” organised by the United Nations.
In Bangladesh, Mr Lu will reportedly join an economic dialogue with Bangladesh’s interim government on September 14 and 15. It is being led by the US Treasury Department but will include representatives from the State Department, the US Agency for International Development and the Office of the US Trade Representative. The State Department said in a statement that it aims to discuss US support for Bangladesh’s economic growth, development and financial stability.
The US visit to Bangladesh marks a shift in its relationship with the administration of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in exile in India since August. Ms Hasina had blamed the US for playing a role in her ouster. The State Department had denied any role in the events.
Published – September 10, 2024 09:05 PM IST