New Delhi: India and the US discussed many important bilateral issues, as well as coordination on Indo-Pacific region and current global matters, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday, after talks with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
@A broad ranging conversation yesterday night with @SecBlinken
“Covered current bilateral issues, Indo-Pacific and pressing global matters. Also exchanged New Year greetings,” he said in a tweet.
The US-India partnership is founded on a shared commitment to freedom, democratic principles, equal treatment of all citizens, human rights, and the rule of law, an official statement said.
Both countries have shared interests in promoting global security, stability, and economic prosperity through trade, investment, and connectivity.
The US supports India’s emergence as a leading global power and vital partner in efforts to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is a region of peace, stability, and growing prosperity. The strong people-to-people ties between our countries, reflected in a four million-strong Indian American diaspora, are a tremendous source of strength for the partnership, said US Department of State.
In December 2019, the US hosted the second 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington led by the US Secretaries of State and Defense and their Indian counterparts, at which both sides reaffirmed India’s status as a Major Defense Partner and deepened cooperation on maritime security, interoperability, and information sharing. While the 2+2 serves as the premier dialogue mechanism between the US and India, there are more than 30 bilateral dialogues and working groups, which span all aspects of human endeavour, from space and health cooperation to energy and high technology trade.
These include the US-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group, which was established in 2000 and is among their oldest government to government dialogues, as well as the Strategic Energy Partnership, Cyber Dialogue, Civil Space Working Group, Trade Policy Forum, Defense Policy Group and many more.
(IANS)
