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COVER STORY JANUARY 31, 2025 | The Indian Eye 5

Secretary Rubio emphasized the lationship well. “I also told him (Ru-
importance of critical and emerging bio) that, while we understand all of
technologies as a key area for part- this, and I also accept that these are
nership, reflecting both nations’ in- autonomous processes, it is in our
terests in fostering innovation and mutual interest to facilitate legal
enhancing security frameworks. and mutually beneficial mobility. If it
The Indian American communi- takes 400-odd-days waiting period to
ty, numbering approximately 4.4 mil- get a visa, I don’t think the relation-
lion, plays a pivotal role in strength- ship is well served by this. So, I think
ening ties between India and the he also noted that point,” he further
United States. With 3.18 million per- said.
sons of Indian origin constituting the In another development, calling
third-largest Asian ethnic group in the attack on the Indian consulate in
the US, this community excels across San Francisco in 2023, a “very serious
diverse fields, including politics. matter,” External Affairs Minister S
Their contributions have been Jaishankar said that India expects ac-
instrumental in fostering closer bilat- countability for the incident and those
eral relations. Notably, five individu- responsible to be held accountable.
als of Indian origin currently serve in “The arson attack on our con-
the US Congress, further highlight- Dr S Jaishankar meets United States House Speaker Mike Johnson during President Trump’s sulate in San Francisco is a very, very
ing their influence and integration inauguration ceremony in Washington DC (ANI) serious matter, and it is something
into American society. for which we expect accountabili-
Notably, the Foreign Ministers ty. We would like to see that people
of Australia, India, Japan, and the External Affairs Minister S Jais- portive of ‘legal mobility’ between who did it are held responsible,” Jais-
United States Secretary of State on hankar said that New Delhi is open two countries and wants Indian skills hankar said at a press conference in
Tuesday, emphasized the Quad alli- to the “legitimate return” of Indian and talent to have great opportuni- Washington DC on Wednesday (local
ance’s commitment to boosting re- nationals living ‘illegally’ abroad, ties at the global level. He added that time).
gional maritime, economic, technol- including in the United States. The India is firmly opposed to illegal mi- Further, Jaishankar also stated
ogy, and supply chain security in the Foreign Minister affirmed that In- gration, adding it is not “reputation- that “he had a brief discussion on
Indo-Pacific. dia’s position on the issue has been ally good” and also leads to several Bangladesh” with US Secretary of
US Secretary of State Marco Ru- “consistent” and “principled,” and he illegal activities. State Marco Rubio, but didn’t share
bio, on his first day in office on Tues- did clearly convey this to US Secre- “As a government, we obvious- any further details at the presser.
day, hosted the Foreign Ministers of tary of State Marco Rubio. ly are very much supportive of legal “We had a brief discussion on
Australia, India, and Japan for a sig- “We have always taken the view mobility because we do believe in a Bangladesh...I don’t think it’s appro-
nificant meeting of the Quad alliance. that if there are any of our citizens global workplace. We want Indian priate. I get into more details,” he
“Quad Foreign Ministers of Aus- who are not here legally, if we are talent and Indian skills to have the said.
tralia, India, Japan & the Secretary sure that they are our citizens, we maximum opportunity at a global The Consulate General of India
of State of United States met imme- have always been open to their legiti- level,” the EAM said. in San Francisco was attacked on
diately after the inauguration of the mate return to India. So, it’s not a po- The Foreign Minister, during his March 19, 2023, by a group of assail-
new US administration, signifying sition unique to the United States,” meeting with US Secretary of State ants who committed criminal tres-
the commitment of the grouping to Jaishankar said. Marco Rubio, also pointed out the pass, damaged public property, and
strengthening regional maritime, Jaishankar, however, also em- long waiting period for getting US attacked officials of the Consulate.
economic, technology & supply chain phasized that India is very much sup- visas and said it is not serving the re- Before this attack, on the same day,
security in the Indo-Pacific,” Minis- some attackers attempted to set the
try of External Affairs spokesperson Consulate building on fire by sprin-
Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X. kling inflammable substances early in
India, Australia, Japan and the the morning.
US reaffirmed their shared commit- A video surfaced on social media
ment to strengthen a “free and open in which suspected pro-Khalistani
Indo-Pacific.” protestors were seen gathering out-
“Our four nations maintain our side the Indian consulate in San
conviction that international law, Francisco, shouting slogans and
economic opportunity, peace, stabili- heckling staff as they abandoned the
ty, and security in all domains includ- diplomatic mission.
ing the maritime domain underpin Shortly after three months in
the development and prosperity of July, a group of Khalistan extremists
the peoples of the Indo-Pacific. We again tried to set the Indian consul-
also strongly oppose any unilateral ate in San Francisco on fire. The lo-
actions that seek to change the status cal San Francisco police department,
quo by force or coercion,” it added. special diplomatic security personnel,
The joint statement further em- and state and federal authorities were
phasized that the four nations are notified and they launched a probe
committed to strengthening regional into the July incident thereafter.
maritime, economic, and technolo- With so many issues raised and
gy security in the face of increasing The External Affairs Minister with Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong discussed during the visit, it seems In-
threats, as well as promoting reliable and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in dia-US relations are set to reach an-
and resilient supply chains. Washington DC (ANI) other level of engagement during the
Also, clarifying India’s stance, second term of Donald Trump.

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