In anticipation of the upcoming meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the United States reiterated its stance on the India-Canada dispute concerning the killing of a pro-Khalistan leader.
Addressing reporters, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “I don’t want to preview the conversations he (Blinken) will have in that meeting (with Jaishankar), but as we’ve made clear, we’ve raised this; we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate.”
Scheduled at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, the Jaishankar-Blinken meeting is set to take place on Thursday afternoon, corresponding to midnight in Indian local time. While media questions are not expected, the diplomats are likely to pose for photographs together.
Although the meeting was planned prior to the recent diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, the US has persistently urged India to collaborate in the Canadian investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Throughout the escalating India-Canada diplomatic rift following explosive allegations, five high-ranking US officials and diplomats, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NSA Jake Sullivan, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, Garcetti, and US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen, have issued public statements emphasizing a balanced message for both parties. In essence, Delhi is being asked to cooperate, while Ottawa is cautioned not to rush to conclusions.
