S. Jaishankar and Antony Blinken are not expected to answer questions from the media. (File)
Washington:
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken here on Thursday amid diplomatic standoffs between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.
Although officials from both sides are unclear about the meeting’s agenda, the recent diplomatic crisis between two of America’s friends, its traditional ally Canada and India, is expected to play a major role in the talks.
“I don’t want to preview the discussions he (Blinken) will have in this meeting (with Jaishankar), but as we have made clear, we have addressed this; We have worked with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
He was answering questions about the meeting between Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Blinken at the State Department’s Foggy Bottom headquarters here on Thursday afternoon (around midnight local time in India).
The two leaders are expected to pose for photos before the meeting and not answer questions from the media.
While the meeting between the two top diplomats was planned long before the Canadian crisis erupted, the US has called on India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia earlier this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as terrorist in 2020.
India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat, equivalent to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official. India has also asked Canada to take tough action against terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its territory and suspended visa issuance to Canadians.
Miller said the issue was not up for discussion in New York during the Quad ministerial meeting, which included foreign ministers from the US, India, Japan and Australia.
“It was a multi-country meeting and it was not discussed at that meeting. But we have contacted our Indian counterparts on this matter and urged them to cooperate fully with the Canadian investigation,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Mr. Jaishankar arrived in the American capital from New York on Tuesday after attending the annual sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.
In addition to his meeting with Mr. Blinken, the secretary of state is expected to hold a series of meetings with senior Biden administration officials, discuss progress between the two countries following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit in June and discuss other regional and global issues.
The minister is also expected to engage with the diaspora and think tank community and interact with leaders from the corporate sector.
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