Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is on a visit to Washington DC, ostensibly to reach out to the top aides of Donald Trump, who has been elected as the President of the United States.
Jaishankar is likely to meet Republican National Council chairman Reince Priebus who is set to take over as Trump’s Chief of Staff after the President-elect moves into the White House. They are likely to discuss Indo-US ties, apart from exploring the possibilities of an early meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources told DH.
Official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup told journalists in New Delhi that the foreign secretary would meet the officials of the outgoing US President Barack Obama’s administration as well as the members of the US Congress.
India is keen to reach out to Trump, who will take over as the President on January 20.
Given Trump’s strident rhetoric against terrorism during his campaign over the past few months, New Delhi expects that the new government in Washington would put more pressure on Islamabad to stop pursuing a selective approach in combating terrorism.
New Delhi, however, is keeping its fingers crossed over the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks