US, India united in tackling Covid-19, says Blinken

Washington - Blinken said the partnership between the United States and India is "vital," "strong" and "increasingly productive."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the United States and India are united in trying to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic together and Washington wants to make sure it takes action to help India with its current coronavirus crisis.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who has spent the past week in the United States seeking help amid a devastating second wave of infections at home, told reporters while standing with Blinken at the State Department that India is grateful to the United States for strong support and solidarity.

“In the earlier days of Covid, India was there for the United States - something we will never forget,” Blinken said. “And now we want to make sure that we’re there for India as well.”

Blinken said the partnership between the United States and India is "vital," "strong" and "increasingly productive."

“We’re united in confronting Covid-19 together,” Blinken added. “We’re united in dealing with the challenge posed by climate change, and we are partnered together directly through the Quad (a group that includes the United States, India, Japan and Australia), other institutions in the United Nations, in dealing with many of the challenges we face in the region and around the world.”

India, the world’s second most-populous country, this month has recorded its highest Covid-19 death toll since the pandemic began last year. Only about 3 per cent of India’s 1.3 billion people have been fully vaccinated, the lowest rate among the 10 countries with the most cases.

Jaishankar said India was appreciative to the United States for its “strong support and solidarity at a moment of great difficulty for us.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced mounting criticism for its failure to secure Covid-19 vaccines for its people. Indian officials have said Jaishankar has been seeking supplies while in the United States.