External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that it was clear that the United States’ new Donald Trump administration was keen on prioritising the bilateral relationship with India.

The statement by Jaishankar came after he held a series of meetings in Washington with officials of the US government including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This came a day after Trump was sworn-in as the US president for a second term.

“If I were to share my overall impressions, I would say one, it was very keen,” Jaishankar told reporters. “It was very clear that the Trump administration was keen to have India present at the inaugural itself. They are clearly prioritising the bilateral relationship.”

The external affairs minister added that it was evident that the new administration would like to build on the foundation of the relationship that was established during Trump’s first term as president between 2017 and 2021.

“President Trump and Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi at that time took a number of initiatives, and we have seen that mature in many ways,” the minister added.

On Tuesday, Jaishankar also participated in a multilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of the Quad nations. The strategic coalition comprises India, the United States, Japan and Australia.

In an apparent reference to China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific, the four countries vowed to oppose unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo “by force or coercion” in the region.

Speaking about the meeting of the Quad foreign ministers, Jaishankar on Wednesday said that there was “a very strong sense that the current administration would reciprocate our desire as well to take the Quad further, to intensify its activities”.

Rubio and Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.

The minister told reporters that one of the concerns he raised with Rubio was that of the delay in the visa process for Indian citizens. “It hampers work, business, travel and tourism, as well as people-to-people ties,” he said, adding that his concerns were noted by the secretary of state.

‘Verification process of those eligible for deportation underway’: S Jaishankar

On Wednesday, Jaishankar told reporters that New Delhi had been open to the “legitimate return” of undocumented Indian immigrants. The verification process of those eligible for deportation from the US was underway and the exact number of such persons was not yet known, he added.

He said this in response to a question about reports that India was collaborating with the Trump administration to deport about 18,000 Indians in the US who were undocumented or had overstayed their visas.

“As a government, we are obviously very much supportive of legal mobility because we do believe in a global workplace,” the minister said.

He added: “We want Indian talent and Indian skills to have the maximum opportunity at the global level. At the same time, we are also very firmly opposed to illegal mobility and illegal migration.”

Jaishankar said that this position was not unique to the US.

“I do understand that right now there is a certain debate going on, and a resulting sensitivity which is there, but we have been consistent,” the minister said. “We have been very principled about it and that remains our position. I conveyed that clearly to secretary Rubio.”

Rubio told Jaishankar during the meeting on Tuesday that the US wanted to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to “irregular migration”.