New Delhi: US Secretary of Defence Lloyd James Austin III reached New Delhi on Friday for a three-day go to to India, he referred to as on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed greetings of US President Joe Biden, the PMO mentioned in a press launch.
PM Modi “welcomed the warm and close relationship between the two countries, which is rooted in shared values of democracy, pluralism and commitment to a rules-based order”, the discharge mentioned.
Taking to microblogging website Twitter, PM Modi knowledgeable about his assembly with Austin. He wrote: “Pleasure to meet US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin today. Conveyed my best wishes to President of US Joe Biden. India and US are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good.”
Pleasure to meet U.S. @SecDef Lloyd Austin right now. Conveyed my greatest needs to @POTUS @JoeBiden. India and US are dedicated to our strategic partnership that could be a power for international good. pic.twitter.com/Z1AoGJlzFX
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 19, 2021
The Prime Minister outlined his imaginative and prescient for the strategic partnership between the 2 nations and emphasised the vital position of bilateral defence cooperation.
The PM requested Austin to convey his greatest needs to Biden.
Austin who’s on a three-nation first abroad tour because the Defence Secretary, stopped in New Delhi on Friday. His go to is seen as a mirrored image of the Joe Biden administration’s sturdy dedication to its relations with its shut allies and companions within the area. The US defence secretary visited Japan and South Korea earlier than arriving in India.
The defence secretary’s India go to comes days after the highest management of the Quad grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia vowed to broaden their cooperation within the Indo-Pacific area.
The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing with US designating India “Major Defence Partner” in June 2016.
The two nations additionally inked key defence and safety pacts over the previous few years, together with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.
The COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) signed in 2018 supplies for interoperability between the 2 militaries and supplies on the market of excessive finish know-how from the US to India.
In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) settlement to additional boost bilateral defence ties.
