Page 57 - Us India Relations

NSA Doval speaks to US counterpart Sullivan, discusses global challenges

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a phone conversation on Friday with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan amid some indication of unease in India-US ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Doval and Sullivan reiterated the need to work "collectively" to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. It said the two national security advisors agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are "built on shared values and common strategic and security interests". "They discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern and forthcoming high-level engagements under the Quad framework to be held in July 2024 and later in the year," the MEA said in a statement. The phone conversation between the NSAs came a day after US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti appeared to be critical of India

US official asks India to play a constructive role for peace in Ukraine

India, as a critical security provider globally, must play a constructive role in ensuring peace in Ukraine and providing it with the impetus to be able to negotiate with Russia, a senior US official has said. Liam Wasley, Director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs at the US State Department said this, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile visit to Moscow and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, including on the Ukraine conflict. Wasley said Indians should understand how much of a threat President Putin and his country are to America's European allies and the NATO alliance. It has also been a very jarring direct threat to the security of a billion members of democracies, Wasley told PTI in an interview. I think that the Indian people can recognise how that is impacting the understanding and the approach of our NATO allies. It's really important for India to be playing a constructive role in ensuring a just peace for Ukraine and providin

After PM Modi's Russia visit, US says India remains a strategic partner

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US has been quite clear about its concerns about India's relationship with Russia and will continue conveying them to New Delhi

US will continue to view India as its strategic partner: Pentagon

The United States will continue to view India as a strategic partner and have robust dialogue with the country, the Pentagon said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his historic visit to Russia, to which the Joe Biden administration has expressed its concerns. "India and Russia have had a relationship for a very long time. From a US perspective, India is a strategic partner with whom we continue to engage in with full and frank dialogue to include their relationship with Russia. As it relates to the NATO summit being this week, of course, like you, the world is focused on that," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here. "But I do not think anybody will be surprised if (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin tries to represent this visit in a way that seeks to somehow show that he is not isolated from the rest of the world. And the fact of the matter is, President Putin's war of choice has isolated Russia from the rest of

India a strategic partner, says US in backdrop of PM Modi's Russia visit

India is a strategic partner with whom it engages in a full and frank dialogue, the United States said on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. "India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. And that includes our concerns about their relationship with Russia," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said. He was responding to questions on Modi's Moscow visit for bilateral talks with Putin. "We did just see Modi, like (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, meet with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We thought that was an important step to take. And we would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, Ukraine's sovereignty," Miller said. "I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks

Officials from Quad countries review progress made since May 2023 summit

Senior officials from Quad member countries have reviewed the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the grouping's summit in May 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The officials, who met through video conference on Wednesday, also discussed new ideas to further the grouping's collaboration in delivering public good in the Indo-Pacific region in areas such as health security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate resilience, and countering terrorism, the ministry said in a statement. Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of the US met to review the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the May 2023 Quad Leaders' Summit, it said. "They also discussed new ideas to further the Quad's collaboration in delivering public .

US deepening relationship with India in several key areas: Official

The US is deepening its relationship with India in several key areas, including economic and security cooperation, a senior official has said, emphasising that Washington will continue to cultivate this relationship. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks on Monday at his daily news conference in response to a question on US-India relations and the recent conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the recent G7 Summit in Italy. "India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation," Patel told reporters. President Biden "had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago," he added. So this is an area where we will continue to cultivate this relationship," he said. Noting that the US hosted Prime Minister Modi for a

India and US extend 2% digital tax pact on e-commerce till June 30

In October 2021, India and the US came to terms to settle differences with respect to the equalisation levy, commonly known as the digital tax

Rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech in India concerning: Blinken

There has been a "concerning increase" in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities in India, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. In his remarks at the release of the annual State Department report on international religious freedom, Blinken said on Wednesday that at the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom. The report stated that senior US officials continued to raise concerns about religious freedom issues with their Indian counterparts in 2023. "In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities. At the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom," the secretary of state said. Ten of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions for all faiths. Some of these states also impose ...

Pannun assassination: Will look forward to results of inquiry, says US

While addressing a press briefing, Miller noted that they have raised the issue with the Indian government and told them that the US expects full investigation into the matter

US, India can achieve headway in defence, technologies in Modi 3.0: Envoy

Progress in defence partnerships, critical emerging technologies and economic prosperity can be achieved when an "ambitious India" works with an "ambitious America during Modi 3.0, US envoy Eric Garcetti has said. Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the ruling NDA coalition for their successful election, Garcetti said in Modi 3.0 is a time to turn dreams of the bilateral relationship into reality. I think in Modi 3.0, it's a time for us to take our dreams and to really make them reality, Garcetti said in the interview with PTI, the first by a senior Biden Administration official after the recent general elections in India in which after which Prime Minister Modi was voted to power for a historic third consecutive term. Whether it's the work that we're doing together on our defence partnership, whether it's our critical emerging technologies, or whether it's the work that we're doing to build economic prosperity, I think those three things in Modi 3.0, we can loo

USTSA seeks one-stop pact with India to end rescreening of passengers

The US transport security body has sought a unique one-stop agreement with India to end the rescreening of passengers, asserting that the "really powerful" concept will raise global aviation security standards. Addressing the India US Aviation Summit here on Tuesday, David Pekoske, Administrator of the US Transportation Security Administration (USTSA) said that the one-stop security concept is "very reachable" between the countries. I think very tangible and very reachable between India and the United States is one-stop security," he said. "It's a concept that expedites the flow of passengers and baggage to their destinations by eliminating the duplication of security controls at transfer points, Pekoske said. He said in the case of a one-stop agreement, passengers who reach an airport in another country and have a connecting domestic flight would not need to be rescreened and their checked bags would go from aircraft to aircraft. Terming it a "really powerful" concept, Pekoske sa

US trade body approves funding to develop integrated aviation hub in Hissar

The US Trade and Development Agency has approved grant funding for technical assistance to help create an integrated aviation hub at the Hisar Airport in Haryana, aiming to develop airport cargo and logistics infrastructure to strengthen India's supply chain network, a top official has said. US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Director Enoh T Ebong announced this on Tuesday at the three-day US-India Aviation Summit here. I am delighted to announce that USTDA has approved grant funding for technical assistance to help create an integrated aviation hub at the Hisar Airport in the State of Haryana," she said. "Our work will help develop airport cargo and logistics infrastructure that will strengthen India's supply chain network, she said without providing the quantum of the grant funding from the USTDA. Our partner for this activity will be the Haryana Airports Development Corporation (HADC), and our assistance will include capacity building to facilitate HADC's implementation of

US lawmakers question FDA's drug inspection programme in India and China

Three top American lawmakers have questioned the foreign drug inspection programme of the Food and Drug Administration in India and China. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, the lawmakers on Monday wrote that the difference in inspection outcomes appears to be just another example of institutional weaknesses and dysfunction in the FDA's foreign drug inspection programme. The letter dated June 21 was written by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie, and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith following the analysis of the outcomes of FDA inspections in India and China from January 2014 to April 2024. The results of this analysis were surprising, revealing tremendous variation in inspection outcomes. Some FDA inspectors found compliance issues during all or almost all of their inspections. Other inspectors rarely reported finding a single compliance issue. Two inspectors never

India key ally of US to ward off 'China threat', says Congressman Meeks

India is a key ally of the United States, an influential American lawmaker who recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, adding that it is a "key country" to ward off the threats of China. These remarks were made by Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. It's tremendously important, and the reason you're talking about 1.3 billion people. But the ally that India is for the United States is important, Meeks told CNN in an interview on Sunday. When you look at what Joe Biden has done pulling people, pulling countries together, for example, India is an integral part of the Quad, our relationship with India, as well as South Korea and Japan, United States, and Australia, he said. Meeks was part of a high-powered delegation that recently travelled to India and met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Then you... about India also part of the trilateral agreement that's moving forward. You kn

Relationship between India, US is multiplicative: US envoy Garcetti

The relationship between India and the US is not just "addictive", it is "multiplicative", US envoy to India Eric Garcetti has said. Garcetti also said that the relationship between the two countries has never been so good. The Indian-American community is the most successful immigrant community in America. He made these remarks on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit, to which the largest delegation is from India. This (India US) is a relationship that isn't just additive. It's not just the US plus India. It's multiplicative. It's the United States times India, Garcetti said on the sidelines of the summit, to which the largest delegation is from India. The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event in the US to facilitate business investment by connecting thousands of investors, companies, economic development organisations (EDOs), and industry experts to make deals happen. Garcetti was speaking at the event wherein India's JSW Stee

INDUS-X defence initiative between US, India marks 1st anniversary

The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem has advanced the commitment of the two strategic partners to building a defence innovation bridge under the Critical and Emerging Technology Initiative, the US has said on the partnership's first anniversary. INDUS-X, which stands for enhanced strategic and defence partnership between India and the US, was launched on June 21 last year by the US Department of Defence and the Indian Ministry of Defence during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington, DC. "In its first year, INDUS-X has advanced both countries' commitment to build a defence innovation bridge under the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)," the Department of Defence said in a press release on Friday. The iCET was launched by Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the QUAD summit in Tokyo on May 24, 2022. "INDUS-X has strengthened private sector cooperation between the United States and India by facilitating ...

It's in strategic interest of India, US to work together: US Congressman

It is in the strategic interest of India and the United States to work together to send a "powerful message of deterrence" to China and ensure democratic countries remain the leaders in producing both next-generation weapons and technology, a top American lawmaker has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congressman Michael McCaul said this during a meeting with the prime minister in New Delhi as part of a bipartisan Congressional delegation. I told Prime Minister Modi it is in the strategic interest of both the United States and India to partner together to ensure democratic countries remain the leaders in producing both next-generation weapons and technology, McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement here. Together we can send a powerful message of deterrence to the Chinese Communist Party because when the world's two largest democracies stand together, freedom and liberty win out over tyranny and oppression," the Republican Party lawmaker from

Nasa to further iCET initiative for benefit of humanity: Bill Nelson

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited India last year and held multiple meetings and interactions. He also lauded India for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission

Lawmakers, corporate leaders pledge to strengthen India-US relationship

Days after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of India for a third consecutive term, powerful US lawmakers, corporate leaders and senior White House officials pledged to further strengthen the relationship between New Delhi and Washington. At the annual Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) here, they also applauded the development in India in the last decade. Henry R Kravis, co-founder and co-executive chairman of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co., said, "India is a terrific country to do business in. There are a lot of opportunities there with 860 million on the Internet and a lot of innovative entrepreneurs." The USISPF honoured Kravis with its 2024 Global Leadership Award for his unwavering commitment to enhancing the US-India relationship. Under Kravis' leadership, KKR has emerged as one of the largest investors in India and has invested over USD 11 billion over the past two decades across sectors, creating thousands of jobs and ...