US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted India's role as a critical partner in fighting COVID-19

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen over the phone and agreed to work closely through common economic and strategic collaborations in multiple forums including the G20 summit.

Both leaders exchanged notes on economic issues of mutual interest and looked forward to a meeting of India-US Economic and Financial partnership scheduled later this year.


This was Yellen's first call with Sitharaman after she became the first female Treasury Secretary of the United States in January this year.

During the call, she "conveyed her intention to collaborate closely to support a strong global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, fight inequality, and advance a bold climate agenda," the Department of Treasury said in a readout of the call on Monday.

Yellen appreciated India's role as a critical partner in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

"The Secretary looks forward to cooperating with Minister Sitharaman, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to address shared priorities,” it said.

Sitharaman congratulated Yellen on the well thought out COVID-19 relief through the USD 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, with particular focus on working and middle-class. They agreed to work closely through common economic and strategic collaboration in various multilateral fora, including the G20, it said.