Who are they?
John Kerry currently serves as the 68th Secretary of State for the United States, a position he has held since succeeding Hillary Clinton in February 2013. Secretary Kerry previously served as a U.S. Senator for over 28 years, which included four years as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He led the first congressional trade delegation to India twenty years ago and played a key role in the passage of the 2008 civilian-nuclear agreement.
John Kerry and Salman Khushid on June 24, 2013 in New Delhi, India. Source: State Department’s flickr photostream, U.S. Government Work.
Salman Khurshid is India’s minister of external affairs, the most senior official responsible for India’s foreign relations. Mr. Khurshid was appointed Foreign Minister by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in October 2012 and formerly served as India’s minister of law and justice.
Why are they in the news together?
Secretary Kerry is currently on a three-day visit to New Delhi to take part in the fourth annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, which he will co-chair alongside Minister Khurshid. The Strategic Dialogue serves as the highest level regularly scheduled dialogue between the two governments, and aims to build upon the progress being made across a range of policy areas.
What is their role at the Strategic Dialogue?
There is a perception that the U.S.-India relationship has lost momentum and is “stuck on a plateau.”
Secretary Kerry and Minister Khurshid are therefore hoping to reignite the relationship by capitalizing on areas of strategic convergence, deepening existing levels of cooperation, patching over differences, and proposing fresh collaborative initiatives.
This week’s Strategic Dialogue represents the first meeting between Secretary Kerry and Minister Khurshid. The two of them will preside over a series of meetings addressing regional security, defense, trade and investment, economic integration, education, energy, and climate change. Secretary Kerry will also co-chair the U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue on June 25.
What can we expect from them?
Both men expressed their desire for continued economic engagement, a key aspect of the bilateral relationship. However, the United States has expressed concerns over India’s intellectual property and foreign direct investment regimes.Meanwhile, Minister Khurshid channeled concerns about the immigration bill currently being drafted on Capitol Hill.These issues will be further discussed at the CEO Forum scheduled to take place on July 12.
Both Secretary Kerry and Minister Khurshid expressed their commitment to the peace process in Afghanistan; this discussion will continue to be vigorously pursued, with the U.S. regarding India as a key player in the transition.
How to move forward with the Defense Technology Initiative spearheaded by Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, which would enable the co-production and co-development of weapons systems, also came up in conversation.
Finally, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the 2008 civilian-nuclear agreement.Secretary Kerry expressed his hope that a commercial deal would be reached by September 2013.
