External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the US in the coming week from May 24 to May 28. The official announcement was made by Ministry of External Affairs on Friday.Jaishankar’s visit will most likely revolve around vaccine procurement. India is engaged in talks with various US entitities involved in Covid vaccines production and is looking forward to procuring and subsequently producing these vaccines. The issue of vaccine procurement is expected to be a key agenda item during Jaishankar’s interaction with US leadership and other stakeholders. The US has already announced that it is going to distribute 80 million vaccines from its stockpile to countries in need.As India is struck badly by the second wave, so efforts of New Delhi will be to look for tie-ups with vaccine developers to produce in India.US has a stockpile of 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine and also Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccines. US is playing a lead role in assisting India in fighting against COVID 19. It has already provided oxygen plants, concentrators, critical medicines like Remdesivir and also raw materials for vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute which is manufacturing Covishield. US is also backing India sponsored proposal on TRIPS waiver at the WTO. The TRIPS waiver aims to increase global vaccine production in order to take on the challenge of vaccinating the poorest of the poor and save lives. EAM Jaishankar met his US Counterpart Antony Blinken in early May in London during G7 Foreign Ministers meeting.
