WASHINGTON: Amid ongoing tensions in the bilateral relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is scheduled to have her first official meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today.
The meeting comes at a critical time, following the U.S. State Department’s imposition of sanctions on a Canadian judge, Kimberly Prost, who is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The sanctions were reportedly in response to her ruling to authorize an investigation into alleged war crimes involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. The ICC has denounced the sanctions as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”
Anand and Rubio have previously spoken by phone, including ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis in June. This face-to-face meeting is seen as an important step in navigating the strained diplomatic environment between the two countries.
