By IANS,
Washington : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is leading a high-level delegation to New Delhi for the second round of strategic dialogue July 19, will also visit Chennai.
It will be the first visit of a US secretary of state to the southern city. Clinton had last visited India in July 2009 to kick off the first round of strategic dialogue with New Delhi.
Announcing Clinton’s itinerary, a State Department statement here Friday said that Clinton will travel to India “for the second round of the US-India Strategic Dialogue, which will take place in New Delhi on July 19, 2011. The Secretary will lead the US delegation, accompanied by a high-level group of senior administration officials”.
The statement said: “The depth of the US-India Strategic Dialogue demonstrates the United States’ strong support for India as an important actor on the world stage and is representative of the broad and multifaceted US-India relationship.”
“The partnership between the world’s two largest democracies covers issues ranging from counter-terrorism and defense cooperation to climate change, high-tech trade, and scientific innovation.”
Clinton will be the first US secretary of state to visit Chennai “which has emerged as a hub for the trade, investment, and people-to-people engagement that is driving the US-India relationship”, according to the statement.
Before landing in New Delhi, Clinton will travel to Turkey and Greece.