External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is currently on an official visit to the US from December 24 to 29, met Congressman Michael Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for National Security Advisor on Friday. Both leaders had a wide-ranging conversation which included discussions on bilateral partnership between India and the United States as well as current global issues. Notably, EAM Jaishankar's meeting with Waltz is the first high-profile meeting between the incoming Trump administration and the Indian government.
In a post on X, the EAM wrote, "Delighted to meet” Waltz “this evening”, adding, “Enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation on our bilateral partnership as well as current global issues. Look forward to working with him. ”
When Trump is sworn in as the 47 President of the United States on January 20, Waltz will replace Jake Sullivan as the National Security Advisor. On November 12, Trump made the announcement that Waltz would be his National Security Advisor.
Who is Michael Waltz, Trump's NSA pick?
Waltz has been a prominent face in the India-US relationship. He has been a three-term Congressman from the Sixth Congressional District of Florida. He is also the Republican Co-Chair of Congressional India Caucus, which is the largest country-specific Caucus in the US House of Representatives.
Waltz also co-led a Congressional delegation to India in August last year and attended the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort.
He has been the sponsor of several India-friendly legislation in the House of Representatives.
Jaishankar meets Blinken, Sulivan
Earlier, the EAM also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as both leaders reviewed the advancement of the US-India partnership over the last four years. In a post on X, the EAM mentioned that both India and the United States agreed that the cooperation between both countries strengthened in many domains, adding, "just as our comfort levels have grown correspondingly."
Jaishankar also met US NSA Jake Sullivan. In his meeting with Sulivan, Jaishankar discussed the progress of India-US strategic partnership and exchanged views on current regional and global developments.
(With PTI inputs)
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