Jaishankar, Blinken vow to deepen India-US ties despite Washington's moves against Adani, former RAW official

New Delhi: Washington DC has vowed to deepen its bilateral relations with New Delhi even as the recent moves by the United States to initiate legal proceedings against a former agent of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analytical Wing (RAW) as well as against one of the leading industrialists of India.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a bilateral meeting on the sideline of a G7 meeting at Fiuggi in Italy on Tuesday.

“The US and India are stronger when we are working together. Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar and I met today in Italy to discuss the importance of our continued close cooperation to promote global security and prosperity,” Blinken posted on X after meeting Jaishankar.

This was the first meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken after India’s billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani were indicted in a US federal court for conspiring to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud for their roles in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from US investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements.

The US prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Gautam and Sagar Adani had agreed to pay more than $250 million in bribes to the officials of the Government of India to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts.

The legal proceedings by the American Department of Justice against the Adani Group gave the opposition parties in India new ammunition to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The US last month also indicted a former officer of India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analytical Wing (RAW), for directing a foiled plot to murder Khalistani Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York in June 2023.

The move by the US Department of Justice came even as New Delhi repeatedly dismissed allegations by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government in Ottawa about the role of India’s diplomats in targeting Khalistani Sikh extremists in Canada.

“Always good to meet @SecBlinken this time in Fiuggi, Italy. Discussed the state of the world and India-US partnership, which continues to move forward,” Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Blinken in Italy.

Jaishankar and Blinken affirmed the enduring commitment of India and the United States to deepening bilateral relations, according to a press release issued by the US State Department, which added: “The Secretary underscored the United States’ desire to continue coordinating closely with India to address global security challenges.”

The meeting Jaishankar and Blinken had at Fiuggi in Italy was possibly the last meeting between them before President Joe Biden exits the White House and President-elect Donald Trump takes over the Oval Office again on January 20. Trump already picked Marco Rubio to succeed Blinken as the US Secretary of State.