India a leader and key US ally in Afghanistan, says Antony Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The PM welcomed President Joe Biden’s commitment to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership. In the meeting, Modi conveyed his warm greetings to President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and his appreciation for the initiatives taken by President Biden including those related to the Quad, Covid-19 and climate change.
It said Secretary Blinken appreciated the increasing convergence between India and US on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues, and the commitment of both strategic partners to convert this convergence into concrete and practical cooperation. Blinken briefed Modi on his fruitful exchanges with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval earlier in the day.