S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal In US, Rajnath in Morocco: Diplomacy, Trade and Defence on Agenda

India

has mounted a three-pronged diplomatic push this week with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leading parallel engagements on diplomacy, trade and security. EAM Jaishankar is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), while Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is in the US to carry forward negotiations on a bilateral trade deal. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, is in Morocco to explore avenues for deepening defence cooperation.

EAM To Attend UNGA, Talks With Rubio On Cards

EAM Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York on Monday for bilateral discussions, as the high-level 80th session of the UN General Assembly kicks in.This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Rubio and Jaishankar following President Donald Trump's imposition of an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, taking the total to 50 per cent. They had last met in July in Washington DC for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

Piyush Goyal In US For Early Conclusion Of India-US Trade Deal

The bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio comes on the same day India and the US will hold discussions towards achieving an early conclusion of a trade agreement.A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal will meet with the US side on Monday in the city. India and the US have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement since February this year and the deal is likely to be finalised before the fall. Goyal visited Washington earlier in May for the trade talks. He held deliberations with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington.Earlier this month, a US delegation had visited New Delhi. According to reports, positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard during the visit.

India's First Defence Manufacturing Plant In Morocco

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in Morocco to dedicate a manufacturing facility of Tata Advanced Systems to produce wheeled armoured personnel carriers. The facility at Berrechid is the first-ever Indian defence manufacturing plant in Africa.Rajnath Singh's Morocco visit is the first-ever trip to the North African country by an Indian defence minister.