New York, Oct 2 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has conveyed India’s concerns to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the US visa fee hike and discussed a host of regional and global issues, including Afghanistan and regional cooperation in South Asia.
Krishna held a 45-minute meeting with Clinton on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session Monday.
Both leaders discussed a host of of issues, including bilateral and regional issues, in a frank and friendly manner, said official sources in India’s Foreign Office.
During the discussions, Clinton thanked India for its prompt condemnation of the attack on its Benghazi consulate that killed the US ambassador to Libya. Krishna thanked the US government for swift response in the wake of attack on a Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin, US.
Issues relating to the hike in the US visa fee, which has hurt the Indian IT industry, figured prominently in the talks. The US raised visa fee in 2010 to finance its enhanced costs of securing border with Mexico under the Border Security Act.
This was Krishna’s third meeting with Clinton this year. The two had previously met in New Delhi in April and in June in Washington.
Krishna also raised issues relating to the export of shale gas, said the sources.
Against the backdrop of the phased withdrawal of international combat troops from Afghanistan in 2014, Krishna and Clinton also discussed prospects of closer collaboration between India and the US to stabilise the violence-torn country.
India, the US and Afghanistan held a trilateral dialogue on the Afghan situation on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York last week.
India updated the US on steps taken by New Delhi to normalise trade relations with Islamabad and the dialogue process with Pakistan.
Besides Afghanistan, regional issues that came up during the discussions included regional cooperation in South Asia and support for India’s Look East policy, said the sources.
