Resolve Devyani Khobragade issue to revive ties, India to US

NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary Sujatha Singh on Wednesday asked visiting US assistant secretary of state for South Asia Nisha Biswal to address the issue of diplomat Devyani Khobragade to help bring the strategic relations back on track.

As TOI reported earlier, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz is expected to visit India later this month for the next round of energy dialogue. The dialogue will kick-start high level engagement between the two countries after the strife over Khobragade, who has been booked by US authorities for visa fraud.

"Foreign secretary underlined in this context the need for officials on both sides to expeditiously resolve outstanding issues, to enable both sides to focus their energies on the substantive and strategic issues that underpin this vital partnership," official sources said.

The two sides discussed the current state of the bilateral relationship, and considered measures to achieve progress in resolving to mutual satisfaction issues that have emerged on either side in recent months.

"Both sides reaffirmed the priority attached to the India-US strategic partnership, and discussed ways in which existing dialogue mechanisms could be energized to generate fresh momentum over the next few months," sources said.

On this introductory visit, Biswal also met senior MEA officers to obtain a broader briefing of India's perspective of the region and beyond. She will be engaged in further meetings on Thursday.