Washington DC [US], April 10 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who is on a three-day visit to Washington, had a 'productive' meeting with US State Secretary Marco Rubio, who will visit India next month.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor was also present at the meeting, during which they discussed the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

'Welcome to the White House, Vikram Misri! Productive meeting with Marco Rubio that focused on our bilateral relationship, especially trade, critical minerals, defense and the Quad. Secretary Rubio looks forward to visiting India next month!' Sergio Gor said in a post on X.

Earlier, Misri engaged in a series of high-level meetings with senior United States officials, focusing on the volatile situations in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific while reviewing strategic defence and trade relations.

The Foreign Secretary's itinerary included significant talks at the Pentagon with Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby. This encounter followed their recent dialogue in New Delhi during the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting, after Colby's visit to India last month to push forward the bilateral defence partnership.

Commenting on the meeting, the Indian Embassy in the US noted on X that the discussion aimed at 'sustaining the momentum of India-US defence exchanges.'

The embassy further detailed that Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had 'another wide-ranging conversation with Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby @USWPColby at the Pentagon, covering the ongoing developments in the Indo-Pacific region and West Asia.'

Continuing the focus on security cooperation, Misri met with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, Mike Duffey.

These discussions were aimed at bolstering defence industrial ties, technology sharing, and supply chain integration, adhering to the framework of the Major Defence Partnership established last year.

The embassy described this engagement as a 'fruitful interaction with the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Mike Duffey @USDASDuffey at the Pentagon.'

Beyond the Pentagon, the Foreign Secretary moved to the Department of Commerce for meetings with Under Secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt.

The talks were geared towards widening the scope of cooperation in commercial sectors and critical technologies, alongside the development of secure supply chains.

'Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri met Under Secretaries Jeffrey Kessler @BISgov and William Kimmitt @TradeGov to expand cooperation in commercial and critical technologies - key to transforming the India-US partnership for the 21st century. They also discussed building resilient and trusted supply chains,' the embassy stated. (ANI)