FS Misri in US, discusses boosting strategic tech ties, trade dialogue

Washington: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday (India time) met with US Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to discuss the early convening of the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue and explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.

The engagement marked a significant step toward advancing high-level collaboration between New Delhi and Washington in areas of strategic importance.

The meeting, held in Washington, focused on strengthening existing frameworks and building momentum on key tech and trade initiatives between the two nations.

The Indian Embassy in Washington took to X, stating, “Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to advance India-US cooperation in critical & emerging technologies. They also discussed early convening of the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue to deepen tech & trade collaboration.”

Misri is currently on a three-day visit to the United States, during which he is scheduled to meet senior officials of the Trump administration.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), his visit comes as a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the US in February 2025, where both leaders launched the ‘India-US COMPACT — Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology’ — a framework designed to enhance strategic cooperation for the 21st century.

During that visit, PM Modi and US President Donald Trump jointly unveiled the ‘US-India COMPACT for the 21st Century’, which aims to catalyse transformative progress across military, commercial, and technological domains.

This was PM Modi’s first official trip to the US since President Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. Notably, PM Modi was among the earliest world leaders to be invited to the US following the new administration’s formation, with the visit occurring within just three weeks of Trump’s swearing-in.

This visit follows President Trump’s recent claims that his administration brokered the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan earlier this month.

New Delhi, however, has consistently maintained that the ceasefire understanding was the result of Pakistan’s urgent appeals to end hostilities, after sustained and intense Indian military strikes on Pakistani air bases during Operation Sindoor.

Indian authorities have stressed that Islamabad was compelled to seek a ceasefire due to the pressure it faced from the precision offensive.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also clarified last week that while the US had reached out to India between May 7 and 10, it was not the only country to do so.

IANS