Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Before a Working Breakfast

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  Good morning.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, everyone.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  Thank you.  Are we supposed to say something?  Okay.  So, Secretary Blinken, Tony, let me welcome you.  I – this is your third visit this year?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  That sounds right.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  But – and of course we’ve been meeting elsewhere.  But this meeting, this visit of yours, I think has a particular significance because, one, we need to follow up on the prime minister’s June visit and the President’s coming here in September.  So there’s a lot of bilateral stuff we need to do.  Two, of course we – this is the 2+2, so we take a broader view of what we are doing.  And then of course, as Quad members, there’s the Indo-Pacific that we are focusing on.  And finally, we look at global regional issues, and I think what’s happening in West Asia – the Middle East for you folks – that I think is a very big concern right now, and I look forward to discussing those and other matters with you.

Once again, you’re very welcome.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you, Jai, very much.  It’s always wonderful to be in India.  We’re building on a rather remarkable year of engagement, and I think it’s just evidence of the fact that we have not only the strongest bilateral partnership we ever had, but also a regional one and, indeed, a global one.  And that was further evidenced by India’s leadership of the G20 this year.  As Jai said, we have a lot to do, including with our defense colleagues, so I’m very much looking forward to that.  And I think it’s further evidence of our resolute focus for the United States on the Indo-Pacific – our region – for the future, and the future is actually now and we’re building it now and we’re building it together with India.

So I look very much forward to good conversations, and very good to be back.  Thank you.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  Let me just add one last word.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Please.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  I think we had a very successful G20 Summit in September, and I do want to thank you and the U.S. Government and President Biden on behalf of the prime minister, because I think without the strong support which the U.S. gave us, I don’t think we would have got the consensus and the outcomes that we did.  So I think it’s important in reaching that.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, my friend.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER JAISHANKAR:  Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, everyone.