On July 28, Antony John Blinken, Secretary of State, United States, hailed India-US ties and said that India’s democracy is a force of good in a free and open world. He said the democracy in India is powered by free-thinking citizens, and the US applaud that. “We view Indian democracy as a force for good in defence of a free and open Indo-Pacific and a free open world,” he added.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1420325431677317123?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwBlinken further added that every democracy, including that of America, is a work in progress. While discussing the issues, it should be done from starting point of humility. He said, “We recognize that every democracy, starting with our own, is a work in progress. When we discussed these issues, I certainly do it from starting point of humility. We’ve seen challenges our own democracy faced & faces today. This is in a sense to all democracies.”
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1420326278331199495?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwHe said, “We talk about in our founding document, search for a more perfect union that means that we are not perfect. Our quest is to get closer to the ideals we set for ourselves. At times, the challenge is painful & ugly, but as democracies, we do it openly.”
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1420328805915267073?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWhile talking about India and the US relationships, he said that both the countries talk about the issues and challenges faced while renewing and strengthening the democracies. He said, “As friends (India and the US), we talk about these issues, we talk about challenges we face in renewing & strengthening our democracies. Humbly we can learn from each other. No democracy, regardless of how old or large has it all figured out.”
Blinken met MEA S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval
State Sec Blinken met Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar. During the meeting, they discussed India and US cooperation against the Covid pandemic. They discussed the peace and prosperity in the region and to work for democratic stability in Afghanistan. In a tweet, the EAM said, “A wide-ranging and productive discussion today with Sec Blinken. Useful in mapping out the next steps in our bilateral partnership. Strong convergence of views on many regional concerns. Agreed to work closely on multilateral and global issues.”
https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1420327914487226368?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe meeting between Blinken and NSA Doval lasted for around an hour. Reportedly, the main focus was on global and regional security and long term measures to take Indo-US relationships to the next level.
https://twitter.com/TendulkarBJP/status/1420328493716369409?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIt is notable here that Blinken’s visit is considered strategically important because the USA has been increasingly concerned about China’s attempts to dominate the Indo-Pacific region. The 4-nation Quad containing India, Japan, the USA and Australia had its first formal meeting earlier this year.