Top US diplomat to visit India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The Trump administration’s point person for South and Central Asia, Alice G Wells, will visit India next week for a series of bilateral meetings and the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, officials here said.

Wells will travel to India, from January 15-18, to attend the Raisina Dialogue, the State Department said and added that she will be in Islamabad from January 19-22.

Before coming to India, the principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs will be in Sri Lanka capital Colombo from January 13 to January 14.

Wells will meet with senior government officials to advance the US-India strategic global partnership following the success of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue last month, the department said. During the meetings she will discuss topics of mutual interest with members of the business community and civil society, it said.

From New Delhi, Wells will fly to Islamabad. During her trip from January 19-22, she will meet with senior Pakistan government officials and members of civil society to discuss issues of bilateral and regional concern, the department said.

Wells is scheduled to start her South Asia trip from Sri Lanka. She will be in Colombo January 13-14. During her meetings she would meet with senior government officials and members of civil society to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including shared interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific region that fosters prosperity, democracy, justice, and human rights, the department said.