Washington, April 8 Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri began a three-day visit to the US on Wednesday to meet with senior officials to review bilateral trade and defence relations and discuss global developments, including the crisis in the Middle East.
The visit of the foreign secretary offers an opportunity to review the full scope of the India–US partnership, said India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who welcomed Misri upon his arrival late on Tuesday.
The visit comes hours after the US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire that included the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for shipping.
Misri's visit “offers an opportunity to review with our US partners the full scope of the India–US partnership, and to advance discussions across key pillars of our bilateral agenda – including trade, defence, technology, and exchange perspectives on regional and global developments,” Kwatra said in a post on X.
Misri's visit comes as both sides work to stabilize relations after a period of uncertainty and strain. Relations have seen a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
It is learnt that the two sides are likely to deliberate on moving forward on the proposed bilateral trade deal during Misri's trip.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to review the full spectrum of India-US bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The MEA said the foreign secretary will hold discussions with senior officials of the US administration on a wide range of issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments of mutual interest.
“The visit follows the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Washington DC in February and is in keeping with the regular high-level exchanges between the two sides,” it added.