The US on Thursday has reiterated that India is a global strategic partner of America. The statement came by US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price while replying on the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to India and his audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the press briefing, Price said, “our message to India and about India is consistent. India is a global strategic partner of US.”
“Secy did have an audience with PM when he was in Delhi for G20. I’m not in a position to detail what was exchanged between them,” he said.
Blinken was in India to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the Raisina Dialogue.
The spokesperson further added, “The engagements we’ve had with our Indian partners at the ministerial level, at the leader level, at all levels, have been in furtherance of deepening the already extensive ties between our two countries.”
When asked about the recent intelligence report on possibility of a conflict between India and Pakistan with particular concern due to the risk of an “escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states.” On this, Price said, “We support constructive dialogue. We support diplomacy between India and Pakistan to resolve long-standing disputes. We are a partner, and we are willing to support that process in any way that they deem appropriate.”
However, he further added, “But ultimately these are decisions that India and Pakistan themselves are going to have to make…It is not for the United States to determine the modalities or the way in which India and Pakistan engage one another.”
Further speaking on India US partnership, Price also said that US want to deepen global strategic partnership with India.
“There are various ways in which our two societies are intertwined. So every time we have an opportunity to meet with our Indian counterparts, it is an effort to deepen what is that already a quite extensive global strategic partnership,” said Price.
India-US bilateral relations have developed into a “global strategic partnership”, based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues.
Regular exchange of high-level political visits has provided sustained momentum to bilateral cooperation, while the wide-ranging and ever-expanding dialogue architecture has established a long-term framework for India-US engagement.
Today, the India-US bilateral cooperation is broad-based and multi-sectoral, covering trade and investment, defence and security, education, science and technology, cyber security, high-technology, civil nuclear energy, space technology and applications, clean energy, environment, agriculture and health.
Vibrant people-to-people interaction and support across the political spectrum in both countries nurture our bilateral relationship.
Under the new motto “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go”, both countries are trying to enhance cooperation. The officials of both countries are often in touch with each other at political and official levels and have organized a wide-ranging dialogue on global issues that have a direct impact on their growing economies.
Under the presidency of Joe Biden, India-US relations can prove to be a defining alliance in the days to come. Both countries are in a position where they need each other as a helping hand. The successful future of the relationship between the two countries will largely depend upon how the US engages with India. Continuing strategic cooperation between both countries will be a win-win situation for India and the US.
