EAM S Jaishankar and Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed working together on global and regional issues

Highlighting the "deep anxieties" about fuel, food, and fertilisers in the developing world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that "this is an era where we seek development...prosperity".

He was speaking at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after their meeting in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "this is not an era of war" comment during a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, EAM Jaishankar remarked, "This is an era where we seek development, where we seek prosperity, where we seek progress".

He added that "the right thing today is to find ways of stabilizing the global economy, of softening prices, of making sure that global trade is more predictable".

During their meeting, EAM Jaishankar and Secretary Blinken also discussed political coordination, cooperation in plurilateral and multilateral formats, and exchanging opinions on how to work together on crucial regional issues and global challenges like the conflict in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region.

"India‑U.S. cooperation is today visible across the length and breadth of the Indo‑Pacific and perhaps even beyond," EAM Jaishankar remarked.

Secretary Blinken pointed out that the U.S. is India’s largest trading partner, with $157 billion last year in bilateral trade. "We’re India’s largest source of foreign direct investment, with a diverse range of U.S. companies investing $45 billion in India".

"But we see more room to grow, and to do it in a way that creates jobs for workers in both of our countries. The U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue, the U.S.-India CEO Forum will give us more opportunities to do that in the months ahead," he added.

EAM Jaishankar also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Commerce Secretary Raimondo to discuss their respective departments. He also took part in a roundtable hosted by the National Science Foundation.

Over the next two days, he will meet with a number of corporate executives and members of the US Congress so that India's problems and interests might be better understood.