Clinton Travels to India for Economic, Security Talks

Posted July 18th, 2011 at 9:15 am (UTC-5)
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in India late Monday for two days of talks aimed at strengthening political and economic relations with the South Asian country.

Clinton’s visit is part of an ongoing U.S.-India strategic dialogue that began last year with talks in Washington. While in India, the secretary of state will meet with Indian leaders and discuss issues such as the security situation in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Her trip comes nearly a week after a series of blasts in India’s financial hub Mumbai killed 19 people.

No one has claimed responsibility for the triple bombings that wounded more than 130 others.

Clinton will travel on Wednesday to the southern city of Chennai, where she is scheduled to meet representatives of U.S. companies.

Besides regional security and economic ties, the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement finalized in 2008 will also be a topic for discussion at the strategic dialogue session. Indian leaders are also expected to bring up American visa laws that affect Indian professionals in the United States.