Washington, DC [US], October 9 : The US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday (local time) that regional issues, including Bangladesh, are often discussed during talks with the Indian government.
However, he refused to provide any specific readout regarding the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar which was held last week in Washington, DC.
He made these remarks while addressing a press briefing on Tuesday. On being asked whether Bangladesh was discussed during the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar, Matthew Miller said, "I can tell you that regional issues, including Bangladesh, often come up in our meetings with the Government of India, but I don't have any specific readout to offer."
Notably, Bangladesh witnessed Sheikh Hasina's ouster amid students' protests turned into a massive anti-government movement, followed by the establishment of an interim government.
She arrived in India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. During this turbulent period, several incidents of violence and chaos, particularly targeting minorities, including Hindus, have been reported from Bangladesh.
On October 1, EAM Jaishankar met Blinken in Washington, DC. Jaishankar said that they followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings.
In a post on X, he said, "Delighted to hold talks with Antony Blinken today in Washington DC. We followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings. Our discussions also covered deepening bilateral cooperation, situation in West Asia, recent developments in the Indian subcontinent, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine."
During the meeting, Blinken and Jaishankar discussed the United States and India's "enduring commitment to deepening bilateral ties, coordinating closely on regional and global challenges, and advancing cooperation on critical and emerging technologies," Matthew Miller said in a statement released on October 1.
Blinken noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kyiv in August and reiterated the importance of a "just and lasting peace for Ukraine." The two leaders also spoke about plans to expand collaboration on clean energy initiatives to address the global climate crisis.