NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be visiting the US next week where he will hold discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar would be a bilateral one and issues related to Covid-19 vaccine production, resilient supply chains and the Indo-Pacific are likely to come up for discussion.
According to sources, the External Affairs Minister and the UN Secretary-General will hold discussions with regard to India joining the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.
“In New York, he is expected to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. In Washington DC, the External Affairs Minister will hold discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He will also be meeting cabinet members and senior officials of the Biden administration dealing with the bilateral relationship. External Affairs Minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic & Covid-related cooperation between India and the US,” a statement from the MEA stated.
Jaishankar is also likely to hold discussions with the US administration to secure unused vaccines, particularly Astra Zeneca from the 80 million stockpile that the US has.