US Secretary of State John Kerry has held wide-ranging talks with visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh on key issues that included the regional situation following developments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Published : 11 Dec 2013, 01:40 PM
No official statement followed the meeting.
But pictures of it were posted on the twitter feed of the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department.
However, officials aware of the content of the discussions, described it as a 'highly useful meeting.'
Kerry is believed to have "enjoyed a positive conversation" with Singh, which was followed by a series of meetings between the Indian foreign secretary and other top officials of the State Department, including Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Windy Sherman and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal.
During the meeting, both sides discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, which among others included Afghanistan, Pakistan and the elections in Bangladesh, Indian officials said.
Kerry braved heavy snowfall in Washington to meet Singh, reflecting the significance he attaches to ties with India.
Singh, who arrived in Washington on Sunday, has also met Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel B Poneman on Monday, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James N Miller, Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken, Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus.
She also had a round table at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an eminent American think-tank.
Singh's consultations at the State Department would continue during her four-day visit. She is also schedule to meet the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins and Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, among others.
The US trip by the Foreign Secretary comes just after the visit of Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh.
This is to be followed by an India visit by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal, sometime next year.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is scheduled to visit New Delhi in January for India-US Energy Dialogue. Officials are also planning for the next round of Afghan-India-US trilateral meeting in New Delhi next year.
India and the US have sharp differences on Bangladesh that have surfaced in spat between their Dhaka-based diplomats.
Indian diplomats have been on record saying Delhi is 'not on the same page' with Washington on Bangladesh, especially on issues of regional security.