New Delhi [India], January 20 (ANI): US Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, concluded a productive visit to India on January 17-19 which included meetings in Delhi with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, members of parliament, and US and Indian business leaders, a statement by the US Embassy in Delhi said.

Reflecting on his visit, Daines said, 'I came to India to reaffirm our two countries' shared values and strategic partnership and to advocate on behalf of Montana's pulse crop farmers. I appreciated Minister Goyal for listening to our farmers' concerns and will continue to work with President Trump to press this important priority.'

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor added, 'As we work to take the partnership between our two nations to the next level in cooperation, I will ensure that senior government officials will regularly travel to India. As a key member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with extensive experience in Asia, Senator Daines' meetings with official and private sector stakeholders in New Delhi were instrumental in advancing our bilateral relationship.'

During meetings with senior Indian officials and parliamentarians, Sen. Daines discussed growing US-India defence cooperation, mutual efforts to secure supply chains, and the importance of the US-India strategic partnership to ensuring our shared security and preserving a stable and open Indo-Pacific region.

While in India, Daines pursued the interests of the Trump Administration and the people of Montana, including urging favourable pulse crop provisions in any future trade agreements between the United States and India. Montana is the top pulse crop producer in the United States, and India is the world's top consumer.

Daines sought to accelerate the active and ongoing talks toward concluding a fair and reciprocal bilateral trade deal.

Daines spoke with representatives of the business community to highlight the many opportunities to deepen cooperation on advanced technologies and expand trade and investment ties to enhance prosperity in both the United States and India, as per the statement. (ANI)