Outgoing Indian envoy to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla meets President Donald Trump

New Delhi: Outgoing Indian Ambassador to the US and next Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla called on US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in White House on Saturday and thanked him for his "steadfast support" for strengthening the India-US strategic partnership.

Shringla is set to be the next Foreign Secretary later this month.

Ahead of her visit here this week, Ambassador Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, described Mr Shringla as the "Captain of India-US relationship."

Wells also said that Shringla would play an important part in the India-US relations to achieve its potential.

US Chief of Protocol Can Henderson hosted a rare reception for Shringla at the Blair House. A reception at this venue for an outgoing envoy is normally reserved only for a few countries and India became one of them.

On December 23, he was appointed as the next Foreign Secretary of India. He will succeed Vijay Gokhale who completes his two-year term on January 28.

Shringla will assume his new post the next day.