The United States welcomes India’s emergence as a leading regional and global power, the US State Department said ahead of the 2 + 2 ministerial in New Delhi.
He also said the United States looks forward to working closely with India during the next UN Security Council term, starting on January 1, 2021.
“The United States welcomes the emergence of India as a leading regional and global power. The United States looks forward to working closely with India during its next term on the UN Security Council, ”the State Department said in a newsletter ahead of the start of the 3rd India-US 2 + 2 Ministerial in New Delhi.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs S Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh for the 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue between the United States and India. The visiting leaders will also meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hold discussions with other government and business leaders on ways to promote the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between the United States and India, he said.
In a fact sheet, the State Department said the two countries have a strong and growing bilateral relationship built on shared values and a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the oldest and largest democracies in the world, the United States and India enjoy deep-rooted democratic traditions, he added.
“The growth of the association reflects a deepening strategic convergence on a variety of issues. Our cooperation is expanding in important areas including health, infrastructure development, energy, aviation, science and space, ”he said, adding that the holding of the third 2 + 2 Ministerial Dialogue between the United States and India in just over two years demonstrates high-level commitment. to their shared diplomatic and security goals.
President Donald Trump made a historic visit to India earlier this year, speaking in Ahmedabad to more than 100,000 people. Pompeo’s visit marks the fourth visit to India by a Secretary of State during the Trump Administration.
According to the State Department, the recent quadrilateral ministerial meeting in Tokyo convened by Pompeo and his counterparts from India, Japan, and Australia, demonstrated the strong cooperative ties between Indo-Pacific democracies interested in strengthening a rules-based order in which all nations are sovereign, strong and prosperous.
“The Quad has proven to be an effective multilateral mechanism, helping to create resilient supply chains, promote transparency, counter misinformation and increase maritime security,” he said.
India, with its large economy, strong support for entrepreneurship and innovation, and growing international trade, is one of the world’s leading economic powers and is well positioned to advance our shared vision of a free and rule-based Indo-Pacific. where all nations can prosper, he said.
Noting that India and the United States are expanding cooperation between the two armies, the fact sheet says this includes the navies, which play a critical role in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. In July 2020, the Indian Navy successfully completed a passing exercise with the US Navy while the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group transited the Indian Ocean region.
In 2019, the US and India conducted their first three-service exercise, Tiger Triumph, in which the US Navy and Marines, Air Force and Army participated in a bilateral exercise with their Indian counterparts. The United States welcomes Australia to join the Malabar naval exercise along with India and Japan, he added.
Noting that defense trade has increased significantly over the past two decades, the State Department said that India maintains the largest fleets of C-17 and P-8 jets outside the United States and, as of 2020, the United States. has authorized more than $ 20 billion in defense sales to India.
“The United States and India enjoy strong defense industrial cooperation. Through the US-India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative, the US and India are working together on the co-production and joint development of defense equipment, ”he said.
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