US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who landed in New Delhi on Monday evening is here to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Here are a few things you should know about Kerry's India visit.
US Secretary of State John Kerry
BusinessToday.In
Aug 30, 2016,
Updated Aug 30, 2016, 2:01 PM IST
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who landed in New Delhi on Monday evening is here to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Here are a few things you should know about Kerry's India visit.
The Dialogue will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. The two sides will discuss and deliberate the entire spectrum of ties between the two countries. The co-chairs will be accompanied by a high-level inter-agency delegation on both sides.
Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell Chairman Dave Cote will co-chair the India-US CEO Forum meeting. At the CEO Forum, both the sides will review the progress made so far on deliberations such as boosting renewable energy and defence ties and smart city project, and also discuss the roadmap to achieve the objectives.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will discuss bilateral trade and investment related matters with her US counterpart Pritzker. According to an official, issues like visa and totalisation agreement are likely to figure in the meeting. Besides, the two sides would deliberate on ways to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Dialogue was elevated into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) during the visit of US President Barack Obama to India in January 2015. The first S&CD was held on September 22, 2015 in the US. The two-way trade between the countries stood at about USD 109 billion last year.
On Monday, The Telegraph had reported that Kerry had plans to visit Sisganj Gurudwara, Jama Masjid and a Hindu temple on Tuesday morning, but these visit have reportedly been postponed to Wednesday.
Kerry's visit comes at a time when India and the US have signed a crucial logistics defence pact 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA) that will enable their militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, making joint operations more efficient.