The closed-door meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. March 3
Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday, according to the US Department of State’s Public Schedule. However, the afternoon meeting is closed for news media and only a brief photo opportunity will be allowed to journalists.
Interestingly, even yesterday’s meetings between Jaishankar and Under Secretary Shannon were kept inaccessible to news media. Jaishankar met the Under Secretary Shannon twice – first, for a working lunch around noon, and later during dinner around 7 p.m., on Thursday. However, both these meetings were closed for press coverage.
It is speculated that Jaishankar is visiting to convey India’s growing concerns over US visas, especially the H-1B and L1. Also on agenda is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US later this year.
Strangely, Modi has not responded to the killing of the Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas. Though Donald Trump broke his silence after a week, Modi is yet to talk on the hate crime that left the Indian American community shocked.
Considering the closed-door meetings, Trump’s delayed response to the hate crime that killed the Indian engineer, and Prime Minister Modi’s ubiquitous silence on Kansas shooting, things do not look very positive on US-India bilateral relations.
Trump had called Modi during the first week of his presidency. “President Trump emphasized that the United States considers India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world,” the While House had conveyed. “President Trump looked forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in the United States later this year.”
However, the on-ground developments in the last few weeks do not hint that India is getting much attention from the current US President.