US Treasury official to visit India to discuss energy, food security

Washington [US], August 20 : US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo is set to visit India from August 24-26 to underscore bilateral economic and security ties, the Treasury Department said on Friday.
He will travel to Mumbai and New Delhi for meetings that include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, the Finance Ministry, the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Treasury says Adeyemo will "discuss key shared priorities such as bolstering energy security, addressing food insecurity globally and combatting illicit financial flows."
He will also underscore "our two countries' deep economic, security, and cultural ties" and discuss ways to build "more resilient supply chains" through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that India joined as a founding member in May.
"Throughout his trip, Deputy Secretary Adeyemo will reaffirm and strengthen the US-India relationship and our shared commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, including by underscoring our two countries' deep economic, security, and cultural ties," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
The Deputy Treasury Secretary will meet with senior government counterparts and business executives in Mumbai on August 24 and 25, the statement said.
Adeyemo will also meet with students and entrepreneurs before delivering remarks on strengthening US-India economic ties at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, the statement added. Adeyemo also will meet with more senior government officials in New Delhi on August 26 before returning to the US.
The Treasury official's visit comes as the United States on Wednesday appeared to defend India's policy choices made by India amid the Ukraine conflict.
During a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that it will take a long time for countries who have historic ties with Moscow to reorient their foreign policy.
He made these remarks during a press conference in response to a question on US "failure" to isolate Russia.
"We have seen countries around the world speak clearly, including with their votes in the UN General Assembly, against Russia's aggression in Ukraine. But we also recognize...that this is not flipping a light switch," Price said.
"This is something that especially for countries that have historical relationships with Russia, relationships that, as is the case with India, extend back decades, it is going to be a long-term proposition to reorient foreign policy away from Russia," he added.
India continues to engage with Russia on a number of issues including India's energy security despite mounting sanctions on Moscow amid the war in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar defended India's crude oil imports from Russia and termed it the "best deal" for the country.