US envoy Sergio Gor holds back-to-back ‘fruitful’ meetings with NSA Ajit Doval

US envoy Sergio Gor held two back-to-back meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday and Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs has said.

At a press conference, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Gor and Doval held two meetings.

Without going into the specifics, Jaiswal said that the meetings “were occasions for both sides to discuss the comprehensive global strategic partnership that India and United States share”.

“There are various elements of it where progress is happening, and both sides remain committed for the strengthening rise in areas of trade, friends, energy security, critical missiles, and other such areas,” said Jaiswal.

While it is fairly usual for diplomats to meet senior Indian officials, Gor’s case is notable because his mandate is greater than that of an ambassador. He is simultaneously also serving as President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, covering a  massive stretch of continent from India to Kazakhstan.

In a post on X, Gor said that he had a “fruitful” meeting with Doval. Without sharing any details, he said that they discussed the US-India strategic cooperation.

“Our close partnership with India is vital to addressing global security challenges. The United States and India share many of the same goals and our engagement continues to grow,” said Gor said on X.

The meeting comes amid a flurry of events in India’s neighbourhood. While the war continues in West Asia with no end in sight, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have entered into a mutual defence agreement to set up an ‘Islamic Nato’. In the India-US relationship, all eyes are on the bill under consideration in the US Congress could lead to up to 100 per cent tariffs on India.

Last year, Trump had slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India, the highest for any country, and plunged the bilateral relationship to the lowest point in ...-Cold War era. Under the subsequent trade talks, he agreed to reduce tariffs to 18 per cent. The trade deal is yet to be finalised and signed.

As per reports, India is seeking an assurance from the Trump administration that any trade deal would permanently lock the tariff rate and not let any later development —whether any presidential executive action or congressional action— raise tariffs.