Washington,  Sept 23: On the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday. The discussions were expected to focus on H-1B visa concerns and bilateral trade issues.

This marks another high-level interaction between the two leaders, who last met in Washington in July during the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, following earlier talks in January.

The meeting comes amid ongoing efforts to strengthen US-India ties, particularly after former President Donald Trump’s administration imposed tariffs on Indian goods and increased H-1B visa application fees to $100,000.

Both countries are also working toward a bilateral trade agreement, with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal leading a delegation to Washington for negotiations. The talks aim to resolve trade disputes and ensure smoother movement of skilled professionals between India and the United States.