The United States is strengthening its partnership with India across various crucial domains, including economic and security cooperation, as highlighted by a senior official who underscored Washington's commitment to nurturing this relationship.
Vedant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, addressed reporters during his daily briefing, affirming the deepening ties between the US and India. He noted, "India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation."
Regarding recent interactions between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in Italy, Patel mentioned, "President Biden had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago." He emphasized, "So this is an area where we will continue to cultivate this relationship."
Highlighting previous high-level engagements, Patel recalled Prime Minister Modi's state visit to the US last year, saying, "I imagine there will be a number of additional areas where we continue to deepen cooperation."
Last year, Prime Minister Modi visited the US at the invitation of President Biden, resulting in the signing of significant defense, trade, and space cooperation agreements between the two nations.
Patel also noted National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's recent visit to India from June 17 to 18, during which he held extensive discussions with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval. The talks primarily focused on advancing the implementation of the ambitious India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Responding to queries on Pakistan and India-Pakistan relations, Patel expressed the US's stance on terrorism, stating, "We would hope that any country on the face of the planet condemns terrorism anywhere." He added, "But ultimately, this is between India and Pakistan. Broadly, of course, we welcome any countries making more positive relations with their neighbours."
Patel concluded, "But as it relates to this specifically, I just, I don't have anything to offer."
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