External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was at his quippy best when asked about his prime front-row seat at Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
“Special Envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is naturally treated very well,” Jaishankar said with a smile during a press conference in Washington DC on Thursday.
The 70-year-old diplomat represented India at the swearing-in ceremony at the invitation of the US government and carried a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Trump. He described the gesture as a reflection of the Trump administration’s eagerness to bolster India-US ties.
“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,” Jaishankar said.
During his three-day visit to Washington, Jaishankar engaged in high-level meetings, including bilateral talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. He also participated in the first Quad ministerial meeting of the new Trump administration alongside counterparts from Australia, Japan, and the United States.
“Clearly there is an interest in taking the relationship forward,” Jaishankar said. “The Prime Minister had a very early phone call with President Trump, and 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 it was evident that the White House under Trump was willing to build on the foundation established during his first term, and that at present, there is a “very strong degree of trust” and “high level of convergence of interests” between India and the United States.
“Between us and the Trump administration, we approach the world both with a clear sense of our national interest belief,” he noted.
On regional cooperation, Jaishankar underscored the importance of the Quad, the four-nation bloc which got a new lease on life in 2017 when Trump was the US President.
“There’s a very strong sense that the current administration would reciprocate our desire as well to take the Quad further to intensify its activities,” he said.
Jaishankar said he also broached the issue of delays in US visa processing. “Ultimately, those visa delays do impact business, they do affect tourism. They constrain the people-to-people interactions, which is the foundation of our relationship,” he said.
