India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry lead the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi, where both the sides discussed ways to boost cooperation in key areas of energy, trade, and business. Kerry promised to "look into" India's concerns regarding the hike in fees of H1B and L1 visas.
The visa fee hike has "affected our people-to-people exchanges. I would urge you to find a just and non-discriminatory solution to these issues," Swaraj told Kerry. US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said, "When (Indian) industry expresses concerns about their feeling of being targeted (through a visa fee hike)... it is imperative that we look into their issue." Kerry later addressed a news conference, where he denounced terrorism and said perpetrators of attacks on the Indian soil should be brought to justice. "We cannot and will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists. Terror is terror no matter where it comes from, who carried it out."
He said, "It is vital that Pakistan join with other nations in fighting this challenge. My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this, but is encouraged by this."
Both the sides decided to create a platform for sharing best practices and technology, and also agreed on a programme called 'Silicon Valley comes to India', where experts from the US coming to India to interact with start ups and provide the required momentum to Indian entrepreneurial eco-system.
