PremiumNEW DELHI: India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar will be visiting the US next week to meet senior officials of the four month old Joe Biden administration and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Economic ties and covid-related cooperation will also be a key part of the four day visit, the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that came amidst news reports of shortages of ingredients used in the manufacture of critical drugs.
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Premium Premium India has been battling a crippling second wave of covid-19 infections that has been sweeping across the country bringing its health infrastructure to breaking point. Hospitals have been affected by a lack of oxygen and drugs besides beds for critically ill patients with New Delhi having to make emergency purchases of cryogenic containers for the transport of liquid medical oxygen, besides oxyhen concentrators and cylinders.
“External affairs minister will be visiting the United States from 24-28 May 2021. In New York, he is expected to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres," the Indian foreign ministry statement said. India is currently serving a two year term as one of the 10 rotating non permanent members of the Security Council, the highest decision making body of the UN.
“In Washington DC, 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 Administration dealing with the bilateral relationship. External affairs minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic and covid-related cooperation between India and the US," the statement added.
The US in recent weeks has sent in some half a dozen consignments of oxygen related equipment including concentrators and cylinders besides vials of remdesivir used for the treatment of covid-19 patients. The effort was piloted by US businesses and associations of Indian-Americans in the US and supported by the Biden administration after an initial lag which had analysts questioning the India-US partnership in fora like the Quad. This came after the US seemed to drag its feet over the release of critical ingredients needed for the manufacture of covid-19 vaccines in India that the country has been running short of – to meet the requirements of its own population as well as keep up its international commitments including the Covax arrangement under the aegis of the World Health Organisation. The Covax facility ensures vaccine distribution among underdeveloped countries.
However, calls from the US president Joe Biden to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior administration officials to their Indian counterparts subsequently have served to cast aside doubts over the quality and nature of the India-US partnership.
In recent days, the US has promised to remove supply chain bottlenecks and ensure the availability of ingredients needed for the manufacture of vaccines.
Daniel Smith, the US charge d’affaires in New Delhi, told reporter earlier this month that the US recognizes that India has a critical role to play in the manufacture of vaccines, not only for itself but also for the world. The US has already diverted ingredients required for the manufacture of 20 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine in India, he said adding that the US was in talks with the Serum Institute of India and other local manufacturers to raise vaccine production. The US would also release millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines as soon as they receive clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, he said.
Besides this, the US has also supported a temporary waiver of covid vaccine patents at the World Trade Organisation, backing a proposal put forth by India and South Africa.
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