US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman on three-day visit to India, focus on Afghanistan and Indo-US ties

New Delhi: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will hold talks on Wednesday with the focus expected to be on the situation in Afghanistan and ways to take forward bilateral ties in key areas. Sherman is visiting India from 5 October to 7 October, nearly two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with US president Joe Biden in Washington . “Deputy Secretary Sherman’s visit will be a useful opportunity to continue the regular dialogue and further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. She will call on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, it said in a statement. “On 6 October, Deputy Secretary of State Sherman will meet Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to review the India-US bilateral agenda and outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the USA,” the MEA said. “They will exchange views on regional issues pertaining to South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary global issues,” it said. It is learnt that the developments in Afghanistan are likely to figure in talks between Shringla and Sherman. Sherman and Shringla will also participate on 6 October in a special session of the India-Ideas Summit being organised by the US India Business Council.