Washington: US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to India next week to “compared notes on the Indo-Pacific”, talk about technology cooperation and also meet his counterpart Ajit Doval and others to took US-India relations to the next level.
Sullivan is likely to meet with Doval for the annual review meeting of the Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) initiative, which was postponed due to the cancellation of his February visit due to other global commitments.
The visit to India by a close Biden aide comes soon after Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra is in the US for a series of meetings with senior US government officials and interacted with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas such as defense and technology.
Sullivan will be in India next week “to celebrate elements of our bilateral relationship, compare notes on the Indo-Pacific and also talk about next steps in technology cooperation.” We think these are all effective, sensible elements to take US-India relations to the next level,” a senior White House administration official said, without giving the date of the visit.
He was addressing a background press conference on Wednesday, heralding an official visit by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who is on a visit to the United States beginning April 9.
The senior administration official was asked how the US thinks about India in the context of the deepening military, defense and security partnership it has with East Asian treaty allies and whether the US views India as part of that network.
“I think if you ask the president, one of the things he’s most proud of is his efforts to build a stronger relationship between the United States and India. And I really believe, both in the Indo-Pacific and in the Indian Ocean and on key issues like technology, the United States and India are working more closely together than ever before,” the official said.
“And I would just say that I think the U.S.-India relationship is moving significantly in a positive direction and that our level of engagement in every conceivable vector — security, intelligence, technology, people-to-people — is excellent,” he added.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers that by strengthening India’s military capabilities, the two nations can work together to maintain a more stable balance of power in the broader Indo-Pacific region.
He also told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a congressional hearing this week on the Defense Department’s annual budget that the US and Indian militaries are accelerating operational activities to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean.
On Wednesday, the senior administration official also said, “Our relationship with India has not only improved in a bilateral context, but it is also a fact that India’s partnership with other countries that work with us and then work only independently has also strengthened essentially. I would say that in many ways engagements with India are some of the most — the most desirable kinds of engagements on the global stage, and we’ve seen that with a variety of key players.” The official acknowledged that in the past, “on both sides there may have been some ambivalence or some uncertainty. I see very little of that now.
“I see leaders on both sides who are fully into each other’s promises and prospects, recognize the potential of this relationship, which is deeply supported by the activist diaspora community here, as well as tech and other businesses that understand India’s potential,” he added.
“And I would just say that I see engagement with India as central to everything we seek to do on the global stage. And I would simply say that I think in many ways this will be our most important bilateral partnership heading into the end of the 21st century,” PTI NPK AKJ NPK NPK
(Published April 12, 2024, 11:52 am F)
