Blinken & Jaishankar discuss bilateral ties, Indo-Pacific in Cambodia ahead of ASEAN meet

Ahead of the ASEAN meeting in Cambodia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met on Thursday and held extensive talks on ways to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region. According to the statement released by the US Department of State, both envoys also held talks on the current situation in Sri Lanka, Burma, and a number of other – number of other hot spots. Both the leaders, who are currently in Phnom Penh, also discussed the immediate danger posed by the debt and crisis-ridden countries. 

"One of the great benefits and great pleasures of taking part in the ASEAN meetings is the opportunity it also affords to get together and compare notes with our closest partners, starting with my longtime friend, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar. So this is an opportunity for us to compare notes as we head into these very important ASEAN meetings," as per the statement issued by the US.. 

Calling India and the US strong proponents of ASEAN centrality, Blinken said: "We have a shared vision together for a free and open Indo-Pacific that we work on in so many different ways every single." Notably, this was the second meeting that came nearly a month after the two envoys discussed collective efforts to mitigate the global implications of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. 

Jaishankar also meet EU Chief Borrell at the Ta Prohm temple

On August 2, the Indian envoy visited the 12th century Ta Prohm Temple in Siem Reap of Cambodia. Taking to the microblogging site, the external affairs minister posted a photo of a conversation with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell at the Ta Prohm temple conservation site. "Good to meet my friend EU HRVP @JosepBorrellF at the Ta Prohm temple conservation site. Appreciate his warm words for our work," he tweeted. It is worth mentioning the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.

Image: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar