Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra discussed several priorities, including ways to strengthen the U.S.-India defence partnership, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on April 12, 2024. Credit: X/@DepSecDef
India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has met U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks and they discussed the importance of expanding the scope of bilateral military engagements, the Pentagon said.
Mr. Kwatra is in the U.S. for a series of meetings with senior officials of the U.S. government and interaction with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas like defence and technology.
Ms. Hicks and Mr. Kwatra discussed priorities for strengthening the U.S.-India defence partnership, including the implementation of the roadmap for the U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation, Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon said.
The two officials underscored the historic momentum in the Major Defense Partnership in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to an official statement.
They applauded the efforts by both countries to advance the co-production of fighter jet engines and armoured vehicles, as well as the continued success of the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) in promoting innovation and partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors, it said.
They also spoke about the importance of expanding the scope of U.S.-India military engagements to strengthen cooperation across all domains while highlighting the shared efforts to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, Mr. Pahon said.
They also discussed a range of regional security issues and committed to collaborating closely in support of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the statement.
Advancing bilateral cooperation
Mr. Kwatra met senior officials of the U.S. government and interacted with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas like defence and technology in his trip. He held meetings with Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Kurt Campbell, Deputy Secretary of State, as well as other senior officials.
He also held discussions with key officials at the National Security Council, the Department of Defence, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Energy. He also had meetings with representatives of leading think-tanks and chambers of commerce.
“The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and provided an opportunity to further advance our growing and future-oriented partnership,” the statement issued by the Indian Embassy said.
Mr. Kwatra reviewed the progress made towards further consolidating the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, it said.
“These discussions spanned the entire gamut of India-U.S. ties, growing defence and commercial ties, supply chain resilience and contemporary regional developments,” it said.
The foreign secretary was on a three-day official visit to Washington and left for New York on April 12.
