'Deepening Our Relations': US Reaffirms Strong Ties With India In Economic And Security Fronts

The United States is deepening its relationship with India in several key areas, including economic and security cooperation, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday, as he reaffirmed strong ties between the two democracies.

“This is something you have – this should be not new to you, Goyal (reporter), that India is a country in which we are deepening our relations with in a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation,” Patel told reporters at his daily news conference, in response to a question on India-US relations.

“The president had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago,” he added. Patel said that he imagines there will be a number of additional areas where the two countries could continue to deepen cooperation.

“National Security Adviser Sullivan just had a visit to Delhi a number of weeks ago as well,” he said. Responding to a question on Pakistan, Patel, though he denounced terrorism, said “Ultimately, this is between India and Pakistan.” “Broadly, of course, we welcome any countries making more positive relations with their neighbours. But as it relates to this specifically, I just, I don’t have anything to offer,” he added.

The Indian government has, time and again, stressed that it desires normal neighborly relations with Pakistan. India’s consistent position is that issues, if any, between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence. The onus is on Pakistan to create such a conducive environment, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).