Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra speaks to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Wednesday spoke to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman focusing on ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two sides, including in the Indo-Pacific.

The telephonic conversation came a day ahead of the second virtual global summit on COVID-19 being hosted by US President Joe Biden. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the summit.

"Pleasure to connect with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman @DeputySecState. We agreed to continue our engagement towards strengthening the India-U.S. strategic partnership," Kwatra tweeted.


On her part, Sherman said the strength of the US-India partnership was reaffirmed and mentioned the shared commitment to a prosperous, free and open Indo-Pacific.

"Great speaking with India's new Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra to wish him well in his new role. We reaffirmed the strength of the #USIndia partnership and our shared commitment to a prosperous, free, and open Indo-Pacific," she said in a tweet.

It is understood that they also touched upon key regional and global challenges, including the situation in Ukraine.