After meeting US secretary of state Marco Rubio, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said he has raised India’s concerns over prolonged visa delays, adding that these delays impact business, tourism, and the overall relationship.
“When it came to various regulations and processes, I also flagged some concerns which are very widespread in India about delays in visas. And you know the relationship is not well-served if it takes that many days for peole to get a visa. Ultimately those visa delays do impact business, they do affect tourism… They in many ways constrain the people to people interaction, which is the foundation of our relationship,” said Jaishankar during a briefing on his meeting with Rubio.
‘Special envoy of PM Modi’: Jaishankar’s response to front-row seat at Trump’s inauguration
The external affairs minister, when asked about the front-row seat he was given during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States on January 29, replied, “The special envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is naturally treated with great respect.”
At the invitation of the US government, 70-year-old Jaishankar represented India at the inauguration ceremony.
Over the course of his three-day visit, the minister engaged with a number of key figures, meeting with several members of the Trump administration’s cabinet.
Apart from meeting secretary of state Marco Rubio, he also held discussions with national security advisor Mike Waltz and attended the inaugural Quad ministerial meeting with counterparts from Australia, Japan, and the US.
Trump administration was keen to have India at inauguration: Jaishankar
Jaishankar said that there is clear interest in advancing the relationship with the US, mentioning the Prime Minister’s early call with President Trump and his own previous visit to make initial contact with the NSA.
He added that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inauguration, underscoring the prioritisation of the bilateral relationship.
“Clearly there is an interest in taking the relationship forward. Now the exact mechanics of it, as and when we have something to tell you we’d be happy to share with you. But I do remind you that the prime minister had a very early phone call with President Trump and that I had come last month and made the initial contact with the NSA. So, it should give you a direction in which the relationship is going,” Jaishankar said,
“I would say, one, it was very clear that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself and they’re clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship,” the external affairs minister added.
With PTI inputs