EAM Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Blinken in Bali

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken focusing on a range of challenges with "greater understanding and openness".

The talks took place on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting (FMM) in the Indonesian city of Bali.

"Continued the conversation with @SecBlinken on global and regional issues, this time at Bali #G20FMM. Our relationship today allows us to approach a range of challenges with greater understanding and openness," Jaishankar tweeted.

Continued the conversation with @SecBlinken on global and regional issues, this time at Bali #G20FMM.

Our relationship today allows us to approach a range of challenges with greater understanding and openness. pic.twitter.com/kiktiWYBO0

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 8, 2022

The Ukraine crisis is believed to have figured in the talks.

Jaishankar also held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Bali.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

In the last few months, India has also increased the import of discounted crude oil from Russia notwithstanding increasing disquiet over it by several Western powers.

India's crude oil imports from Russia have jumped over 50 times since April and now it makes up for 10 per cent of all crude bought from overseas.

The G-20 is a leading grouping that brings together the world's major economies. Its members account for more than 80 per cent of the global GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the population of the planet.

The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union. Spain is also invited as a permanent guest.

Each year, the Presidency invites guest countries, which take full part in the G20 exercise. Several international and regional organisations also participate, granting the forum an even broader representation.