US Envoy Sergio Gor Heads to Turkmenistan Amid Flurry of India Diplomacy

Gor will engage in a series of high-level meetings with senior Turkmen government officials and the business community, focusing on expanding bilateral cooperation, promoting regional stability, and strengthening economic partnerships.

The United States looks forward to engaging with Turkmenistan on new opportunities for collaboration that will benefit both our nations and contribute to prosperity and security across the region.

Earlier, Gor extended a warm welcome to US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll on his arrival.

In a post on X, Gor wrote, "A very warm welcome to my friend, @SecArmy Dan Driscoll to India!"

The welcome came as Gor on Tuesday said senior US government officials will regularly travel to India as part of efforts to take the bilateral partnership to the next level of cooperation, even as differences remain between the two sides on trade-related issues.

Gor made the remarks at the end of what the US embassy described as a "productive visit" by Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and members of Parliament during January 17-19.

The US embassy said Daines discussed expanding US-India defence cooperation, joint efforts to secure supply chains, and the "importance of the US-India strategic partnership to ensuring our shared security and preserving a stable and open Indo-Pacific region."

"As we work to take the partnership between our two nations to the next level in cooperation, I will ensure that senior government officials will regularly travel to India," Gor said.

He also said Daines' engagements with official and private sector stakeholders in New Delhi were "instrumental in advancing our bilateral relationship. "The US embassy further said Daines also "pursued interests of the Trump Administration" and the people of Montana, which he represents in the Senate.

During the visit, Daines said he pushed for "favourable pulse crop provisions in any future trade agreements" between India and the United States. Daines said, "I appreciated Minister Goyal for listening to our farmers' concerns and will continue to work with President Trump to press this important priority.

"He also called for the "acceleration of the active and ongoing talks towards concluding a fair and reciprocal bilateral trade deal."

Before this, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Senator Steve Daines and the US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, and had a "productive exchange" of views on the bilateral relationship front.

"Delighted to again meet my good friends US Senator @SteveDaines and the US Ambassador to India @SergioGor. Had a productive exchange of views on our bilateral relationship," Piyush Goyal posted on X.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had on Sunday also met US Senator Steve Daines, who is currently on a visit to India. They had a wide ranging and open discussion on the bilateral relationship and its strategic significance.

Last week, Indian envoy in US, Vinay Kwatra, also met Senator Daines and discussed the bilateral relationship. These meetings come amid India and US' talks for a Bilateral Trade Agreement.

India is currently being subjected to US tariffs of 50 per cent, even as it has been in talks with Washington since February last year, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US capital.

- ANI