Washington/New Delhi: Even as India continues to advance ties with Iran and Russia, ignoring Washington’s disapproval, a senior US official said that Washington is deepening its relations with New Delhi in a number of key areas, especially economic ties and security cooperation.
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, asked how Washington is going to deal with its deepening ties with New Delhi in view of India’s relations with Iran and Russia, said: “…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. The President had the opportunity briefly see Prime Minister Modi on the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago. So this is an area we will continue to cultivate this relationship.”
Speaking about the state visit of PM Narendra Modi to Washington in June last year, he said:
“You are no stranger to the fact that we hosted India for a state visit last summer, and I imagine there’ll be a number of additional areas where we continue to deepen cooperation. National Security Advisor Sullivan just had a visit to Delhi a number of weeks ago as well.”
To a question on how the US views the triangle of U.S.-India, U.S.-Pakistan, and India-U.S. relations, in view of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s peace overtures to India and the latter maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together, Patel said: “Well, we would hope that any country on the face of the planet condemns terrorism anywhere, but 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.”
