S Jaishankar Meets Marco Rubio Amid H-1B Visa Fee Hike, Trump Tariff Talks: WATCH

(MENAFN- Live Mint) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, September 22, on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session. The two leaders could be seen shaking hands as they met for bilateral discussions.

Their meeting at Lotte New York Palace takes place on the same day India and the US are set to hold discussions to achieve an early conclusion of a trade agreement.

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Jaishankar arrived in New York on Sunday for the high-level UNGA meet. After meeting Rubio, he said in a post on X,“Good to meet Marco Rubio this morning in New York. Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch.”

Jaishankar was expected to hold a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the session and will deliver the national statement at the General Debate on September 27 from the iconic green UNGA podium, news agency PTI reported.

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It's the first face-to-face interaction between Jaishankar and Rubio following President Donald Trump's imposition of an additional 25 per cent tariff on India, taking the total levies imposed on India to 50 per cent.

Jaishankar and Rubio had last met in July in Washington DC for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

India-US trade deal

A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal will meet with the US side on Monday in the city.

"The delegation plans to take forward the discussions with a view to achieving early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had said in a statement.

The statement added that during the last visit of officials from the office of the US Trade Representative to India on September 16, positive discussions were held on various aspects of the trade deal, and it was decided to intensify efforts in this regard.

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Trouble mounted for the $285-billion Indian IT sector in its largest outsourcing market, as the US decided to hike H-1B visa application fee to $100,000 (about ₹88 lakh), with apex body Nasscom warning that business continuity for onshore projects will be disrupted.

The announcement prompted some big tech companies and banks to warn employees to stay in the US or quickly return. India was by far the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries.

The US administration explained that the move is aimed at reducing what it sees as overuse of the programme and ensuring that only "highly skilled" workers are brought in from overseas. Officials believe the fee hike will create and protect jobs for American workers.

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