EAM Jaishankar, Marco Rubio to meet on the sidelines of UNGA session

Union Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to hold talks on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York, according to a public schedule released by the US Department of State.

The two are expected to hold talks in New York at 8:30 pm IST on September 22. ET had reported that Jaishankar's discussions with Rubio would focus on trade negotiations and the Trump administration's recent decision to raise H-1B visa fees.

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 for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, taking the total levies imposed on India by the Trump White House to 50 per cent.


This year's UNGA session coincides with several thematic events, including a commemoration of the UN's 80th anniversary, a Climate Ambition Summit convened by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and a high-level meeting marking 30 years of the Beijing Declaration on women's rights.

Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday for the high-level UNGA week, commencing his engagements with a bilateral meeting with the Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Theresa P. Lazaro.

Piyush Goyal also in US for talks

A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal will meet with the US side on Monday in the city. "The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had said in a statement.

The statement added that during the last visit of the team of officials from the office of the United States Trade Representative to India on September 16, positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard.

Jaishankar will hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings during the week on the sidelines of the high-level UNGA session and will deliver the national statement at the General Debate on September 27 from the iconic green UNGA podium.