Mint Explainer: What transpired at the Jaishankar-Blinken meeting?
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, held a bilateral meeting during Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to the United States. In the runup to the meeting, all eyes were on how the US would deal with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that India was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan figure in Canada. Mint breaks down the developments.
“Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar discussed a full range of issues, including key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency, and the creation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and its potential to generate transparent, sustainable, and high-standard infrastructure investments. The secretary and the external affairs minister also emphasized the continued importance of cooperation ahead of the upcoming 2+2 Dialogue, in particular in the areas of defense, space, and clean energy," said spokesperson Miller after the bilateral meeting in Washington on Thursday. While Jaishankar and Blinken may have discussed the Canadian allegations in private, it is significant that no mention of the issue was made in the joint statement or in Blinken's communications after the incident.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he had been assured that Blinken would bring up the matter with Jaishankar. The lack of a direct mention of the issue may indicate that America doesn’t wish to upset India by challenging it publicly on the matter. Quiet diplomacy seems to be America’s method of dealing with the rift between two of its allies.
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