External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the US from December 24 to 29 to discuss bilateral ties.
It will mark the first high-level official visit to the US after Donald Trump won the presidential elections. During his visit, Jaishankar will engage with his counterparts to discuss critical bilateral, regional, and global issues. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening India-US ties, addressing global challenges, and exploring avenues for deeper cooperation in several areas.
“He will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement. As part of his itinerary, the minister will also chair a conference of India’s Consul Generals in the United States.
In September 2024, US envoy to India, Eric Garcetti, while highlighting India-US ties, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “the most pro-American prime minister we’ve ever seen in Indian history” and praised the outgoing US President Joe Biden as “the most pro-Indian president we’ve had in US history.”
This visit comes against the backdrop of bribery and fraud charges alleged by US authorities against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. Earlier in November, the White House exuded confidence in its strong relations with India, saying it will help in navigating the crisis.
Gautam Adani, along with his nephew Sagar Adani and other executives, were indicted in New York for their roles in an alleged multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud scheme to secure solar energy contracts.
The US Department of Justice charged Adani and his associates, including executives from Adani Green Energy Ltd and Cyril Cabanes of Azure Power Global Ltd, with conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, as well as securities fraud. Prosecutors accused them of devising a scheme to secure funds from US investors and global financial institutions through false and misleading statements.
The Adani Group denied the charges, describing them as “baseless.”