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Ties based on ‘fundamental convergences’: S Jaishankar on India-US relations
The two countries stand united in opposing terrorist safe havens, countering terror financing and strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats, he said.
India and the US are united in tackling terror and backing regional connectivity through the transparent development of infrastructure that respects sovereignty, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.
The two countries stand united in opposing terrorist safe havens, countering terror financing and strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, “including those in our immediate neighbourhood”, Jaishankar said in an indirect reference to Pakistan.
He made the remarks in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on India-US relations, a day after his wide-ranging talks with visiting US secretary of state Antony Blinken that focussed on the situation in Afghanistan, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and post-Covid recovery.
Jaishankar described the India-US partnership as one of the major relationships in the world based on “fundamental convergences”. Both sides are committed to tackling contemporary challenges such as terrorism, climate change and pandemics, he added.
Without naming China, Jaishankar also said India and the US are committed to freedom of navigation, overflight and commerce throughout the region and the need to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law.
Both countries also “support bolstering regional economic connectivity through the transparent development of infrastructure and the use of responsible debt financing practices, while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law, and the environment”, he said, in an apparent reference to debt traps and allegations of lack of transparency linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
India and the US, he said, also work together under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad framework, where partners discuss issues such as maritime security, cyber security, counter-terrorism, resilient supply chains, Covid-19 vaccines, critical and emerging technology, connectivity and infrastructure, climate action, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Under the Quad mechanism, the foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the US have met thrice and the first Quad Leaders’ Summit was held virtually in March.
In the field of defence, the “New Framework for India-US Defence Cooperation” was renewed for 10 years in 2015, while India was designated a “Major Defence Partner” by the US in 2016. The two sides have signed the foundational defence agreements and there are regular engagements between the defence forces through exercises, and this has resulted in “defence collaboration becoming an important pillar of the bilateral relationship”, he said.
Healthcare emerged as an important sector of collaboration during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the US government and private sector deployed substantial consignments of critical medicines and oxygen-related equipment to India to combat the second wave of infections this year.
“As global non-proliferation partners, the US has expressed strong support for India’s early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and has supported India’s accession into the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group,” he said, adding the US also supports India’s permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council.
Jaishankar said relations between India and the US have seen steady growth and development since 2014, and this extended over three administrations in Washington. Both sides now have a comprehensive, strategic and global partnership based on shared democratic values and convergence of interests on regional and global matters, he said.
