Jaishankar had ‘brief discussion on Bangladesh’ with new US Secretary of State
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said he had a brief discussion on Bangladesh with the newly appointed United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reports Indian news agency ANI.
He, however, did not share any further details at the presser,
Jaishankar visited the US to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump and Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Washington DC.
“We had a brief discussion on Bangladesh...I don’t think it’s appropriate. I (will) get into more details,” he said.
Jaishankar shared the video of the press conference on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Jaishankar was heard answering various questions on the relations of India and the US and other issues in the conference held at the Indian embassy there.
A newsperson asked him whether he talked about the condition of minority communities in Bangladesh during his discussions with Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz.
Jaishankar responded positively to the answer, saying that he had a brief discussion.
Responding to a question on the bilateral relations of the US and India, he said the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself and is prioritising the bilateral relationship.
The Indian External Affairs Minister further said that the ties are being built further on the strong foundation that has been laid.
Interacting with the media here, Jaishankar said the Trump administration is keen to take Quad further and intensify its activities.
“If I were to share my overall impressions, I would say one, it was very keen. It was very clear that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself. They’re clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship. Secondly, in the meetings, it was also evident that they would like to build on the foundation of the relationship, a foundation which the first Trump administration also contributed a lot to building,” Jaishankar said.
Clarifying India’s stance, S Jaishankar said that New Delhi is open to the “legitimate return” of Indian nationals living “illegally” abroad, including in the United States.
He affirmed that India’s position on the issue has been “consistent” and “principled”, and he did clearly convey this to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We have always taken the view that if there are any of our citizens who are not here legally, if we are sure that they are our citizens, we have always been open to their legitimate return to India. So it’s not a position unique to the United States,” Jaishankar told the press conference.
“I understand right now that there is a certain debate going on and a resulting sensitivity which is there. But we have been consistent; we have been very principled about it, and that remains our position, and I conveyed that very clearly to US State Secretary Marco Rubio,” he added.