US can 'lean upon' India to resolve major challenges in the world: State Dept

Calling India a "very important friend" on which the United States can "lean upon" to resolve major challenges in the world, the US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Washington's Indo Pacific strategy cannot be accomplished without the help of New Delhi.

Speaking to ANI, Ortagus said, 'US-India 2+2 Dialogue' which was held here on Wednesday, shows the significance of the bilateral relationship between the two countries. During the meeting, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh held extensive talks with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

"It is important to note that it is only the second time we have had this 2+2 dialogue between the United States and India. It is the first time that it is being held in Washington. We have a very few of these around the world. I mean this shows the significance of the US bilateral relationship with India. India is incredibly important to us," Ortagus said.

She also said that India and the United States are holding talks on a wide range of issues like counter-terrorism, economics, trade, and security.

"We have a number of issues as it relates to counter-terrorism, economics, trade, security and then what's most important is that the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies talk on a range of these issues," she said.

Asserting that peace in Afghanistan can only be achieved through partnership with countries like India, Ortagus said, "Another area we are working closely on is Afghanistan. The only way we will get to peace in Afghanistan is through partnerships with countries like India and the region to help us bring all people on the table. We talked about counterterrorism and we talked about Afghanistan and the ongoing efforts there."

"When you have such an important relationship, it gives us the ability to talk about all major challenges in the world whether it is China, Russia or North Korea. India is a very, very important friend to the United States, someone that we lean upon in helping us solve these big problems," she added.