Terrorism emanating from Pakistan to be discussed during Indo-US meet on August 30

Terrorism emanating from Pakistan and other issues of strategic importance as well as of commercial interest will discussed during the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) to be held in New Delhi on August 30.

During the Dialogue, to be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, the entire gamut of cooperation between the two countries will be taken up, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. The co-chairs will be accompanied by a high-level inter- agency delegation on both sides.

Asked if the current situation in Kashmir and the terrorism emanating from Pakistan will also figure during the talks between the two sides, he said, "Anything which is of strategic importance for both the countries will obviously figure. Very substantive discussions on all aspects of bilateral relationship, important regional issue and global developments."

The forthcoming S&CD will also review the progress made in the implementation of the various decisions taken in the recent Summit held in June in Washington DC and identify possible areas for future cooperation, Swarup added. 

The S&CD is a comprehensive mechanism to discuss and deliberate the entire gamut of cooperation between the two countries. The India-US Strategic Dialogue was elevated into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue during the visit of US President Barack Obama to India in January 2015. The first S&CD was held on September 22, 2015 in the US.