US's John Kerry leaves for India for a 3-day visit

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry, heading a high-powered delegation, on Wednesday left for India to co-chair the fifth annual India-US Strategic Dialogue with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi during his three-day official visit.

State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki, who is accompanying Kerry on his trip, said the top US diplomat would also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is the first cabinet-level between the Obama administration and the new Indian government led by Modi.

Kerry leads a high-powered US delegation including Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to co-chair the India-US Strategic Dialogue with Swaraj in New Delhi on July 31.

"There is incredible potential for the US-India relationship and the Strategic Dialogue is a great opportunity to explore ways to move forward," Congressman Joe Crowley said.

"We already have very strong people-to-people relations, and our two countries should be doing everything we can to work together more and more," the top Democratic lawmaker, who also co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said.

While Kerry's meeting would set the tone of India US relationship, officials said the trip would lay the ground work for Modi's September visit to Washington to meet US President Barack Obama.

"Kerry's visit underscores the importance of the US-India partnership, and will lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Modi's September visit to the United States," Psaki said.

Psaki said that the strategic dialogue is an opportunity to reinvigorate the already strong relations with India and to begin working with the new government to advance shared bilateral and regional interests.

"Discussions will focus on expanding trade and investment to achieve greater shared prosperity; ensuring India's energy security through cooperation and clean energy; ensuring the safety of both our nations through expanded counterterrorism and homeland security cooperation; and tackling global issues such as the looming threat of climate change," she said.

Congressman Crowley hoped that in future dialogues, the conversation can expand beyond the foreign ministry to include elected officials from both nations in order to strengthen and deepen the bilateral ties.