Key Points

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar recently met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with the discussions focused on trade and tariffs, along with other aspects of the bilateral relationship.

"External Affairs Minister had a meeting with Secretary of State Mark Rubio in New York. This was on September 22. In the meeting, the External Affairs Minister and Secretary of State were joined by the Commerce and Industry Minister from our side, and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) from the American side. We also had several officials participating in that meeting. The focus of the discussion was on trade and tariffs. Other aspects of the bilateral relationship were also discussed," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal while addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

"With regard to H-1B, you are aware that the ministry and our Embassy in Washington DC have been in active touch with the US administration. You would have seen, after those changes were announced, subsequent to that, clarifications and FAQs were issued by the US side as to how it's going to play out. This is still an evolving situation, and we remain engaged at various levels," he added.

Amid signs of thaw in ties between India and the US, EAM Jaishankar met Secretary of State Rubio on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, during which they agreed on "sustained engagement".

EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting: "Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas".

He called the meeting "good" and added, "We will remain in touch".

On the other hand, following his meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio "reiterated" that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States. He expressed his appreciation for the Indian government's continued engagement on a number of issues including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship, the US Department of State said in a readout of their meeting.

They "agreed the United States and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad", it said.

This was the first face-to-face engagement between the two leaders since relations between New Delhi and Washington came under strain over trade tariffs and India's purchase of Russian oil.

The tensions escalated after the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, which came into effect on August 27.

EAM Jaishankar's meeting with his American counterpart was also considered crucial, particularly in the backdrop of the US President Donald Trump administration's recent decision to hike the H-1B visa fee.

The proclamation signed by Trump has raised the application fee for H-1B visas to $100,000, triggering chaos across the tech industry and creating uncertainty among employees who rely on the visa programme.

- IANS