Jaishankar Puts US on Spot Over Visa Curbs, Rubio Says ‘India Not the Target’

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said he raised concerns regarding difficulties faced by legitimate Indian travellers in obtaining US visas during talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New Delhi. The remarks came as the two leaders addressed a joint press conference following delegation-level bilateral discussions held earlier in the day. Highlighting the importance of people-to-people ties in the India-US relationship, Jaishankar said he conveyed India’s concerns over visa-related challenges impacting genuine travellers."People-to-people ties are at the heart of the [India-US] relationship. I apprised Secretary [of State] Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect to visa issuance. While we cooperate

to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility would not be adversely impacted as a consequence. After all, this is very relevant to our business, technology and research cooperation (sic)," Jaishankar said during the press conference.Responding to the concerns, Rubio clarified that the US visa system changes were not aimed specifically at India and were part of a broader global process."It is not a system that is targeted at India; it is one that's being applied globally. But we're in a period of transition, and like any period of transition, there's going to be some bumps on that road (sic)," he said.