India-Canada Diplomatic Row: US Secretary of State Blinken has reportedly urged India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation into the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar in his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, amid a simmering diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa which snowballed into a massive controversy following the allegations made by Canadian PM Trudeau and subsequently dismissed by India as "absurd and motivated". This was followed by India's expulsion of a Canadian diplomat in a swift-tit-for-tat action.
Initially, both sides were tight-lipped on the discussions about the India-Canada diplomatic row, but now Reuters has quoted a US official who said Washington raised the issue during the meeting with India.
"Blinken raised the Canadian matter in his meeting, (and) urged the Indian government to cooperate with Canada’s investigation," the US official said as quoted by the news agency. However, the State Department statement made no mention of the issue.
Jaishankar Holds Talks With Blinken
However, during the high-level talks, both sides discussed wide-ranging issues on global developments. Jaishankar also laid the groundwork for a 2+2 meeting.
"Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today. A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments. Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon," he posted on X on Friday.
India will be hosting the fifth edition of India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Jaishankar announced. Even as the dates are yet to be announced, the ministerial dialogue is likely to be held in the first half of November. The US delegation would be represented by Blinken along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation.
“I actually look forward to seeing you in Delhi for the 2+2,” Jaishankar told Blinken, as the latter welcomed him at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department for the meeting. The last 2+2 ministerial was held in Washington DC on April 11. Started during the previous Trump administration, the first 2+2 ministerial was held in New Delhi on September 6, 2018.
"Focused discussion on India-US collaboration on critical and emerging tech and creating resilient supply chains at discussion convened by @USISPForum," Jaishankar said in another post on social media platform X. "Glad to know that India is the major talking point in corporate boardrooms. Our collaboration offers more possibilities with each passing day," he said.