Indian finance minister to meet with G20, IMF, CEOs in US
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India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit the United States to participate in various meetings.
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Indian finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.
Nirmala Sitharaman, India's finance minister, will be visiting the United States to participate in meetings between the IMF and the World Bank, in addition to a meeting between the G20 finance ministers and heads of the respective central banks, according to the Indian Finance Ministry on Sunday.
"Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will be traveling to the USA on an official visit beginning April 18, 2022. During her visit, Smt. Sitharaman will be attending the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) & World Bank, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor Meeting (FMCBG) meetings," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, Sitharaman will have bilateral meetings with numerous countries such as Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and South Africa during her visit.
She will, furthermore, be meeting with CEOs from the semiconductor, energy, and other industries the Indian government is concerned with.
"In a high-level meeting, the Finance Minister will also meet Mr David Malpass, President, World Bank. During the course of the visit, Smt. Sitharaman will participate in a high-level panel discussion on 'Money at a Crossroad' hosted by the Managing Director, IMF," the statement read.
Moreover, Sitharaman will also be attending an event at the Atlantic Council and meeting with faculty members and students at Stanford University in California.
The visit comes amid Washington and NATO's pressures to push India into taking an anti-Russia stance on the Ukraine conflict, in addition to pressing New Delhi to join the West-led sanctions against Moscow.
Read more: Biden to Modi: Buying more Russian oil is not in India's interest
India has been pushing back against such pressures, aligning itself with its interests with Russia.
Last Monday, US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
Biden underlined that Washington and New Delhi share "common values and resilient democratic institutions" before the meeting.
However, many are saying that no matter how much Washington emphasizes the strategic partnership with India, the differences between the two on their approach to the Ukraine conflict is the elephant in the room. It also does not change the fact that Washington, throughout the meeting, pressured India to condemn Russia. In fact, it was the theme of the meeting.
Over the past 2 years, the US and India have had close interactions, amid Washington's attempts to contain China in Asia. However, their "friendship" could not withstand the tough tides of the Ukraine war and thus the two are now at odds.
Read more: India rebukes US for warning against Russian oil imports
India has refused to participate in Washington's and Europe's sanctions against Russia. Furthermore, unlike a plethora of countries that have cut economic ties with Russia, India maintained it and, actually, increased Russian energy imports and helped keep the Russian ruble stable.
India does not follow the US' lead and has maintained independent diplomacy, embarrassing Washington.
The Indian example is a live representation of the US' waning scope of coercion in the international arena, particularly in Asia.
