US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan began his two-day visit to India on Monday as both countries take the next steps in strategic technology and defence cooperation during the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Delighted to welcome US NSA Jake Sullivan in New Delhi today morning. A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term," External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar posted on X after he met Sullivan.
The US NSA then met his Indian counterpart, India's NSA Ajit Doval as both top security officials, who had met in Italy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit last week, carried on their discussions on a range of strategic, regional, and bilateral issues, including the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
Sullivan's visit also establishes once again that India will continue to perfectly walk a tightrope of diplomacy, a hallmark of the Modi government, and engage with various countries to promote its interests.
The US NSA has arrived in India after attending and addressing the Peace Summit on Ukraine hosted by Switzerland over the weekend.
India also attended the event but did not associate itself with any communique or document emerging from the Summit.
Sullivan had visited New Delhi almost around the same time last year, meeting PM Modi, EAM Jaishankar and NSA Doval as both countries unveiled a roadmap for cooperation at a stakeholder event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on advancing India-US iCET partnership just ahead of Prime Minister Modi's landmark visit to Washington.
Both NSAs have acknowledged that the iCET unveiled by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden in May 2022 will play a defining role in deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
"I think if you ask the President, one of the things that he's proudest of is his efforts to build a stronger relationship between the US and India. And I do believe, both in the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean and on key issues like technology, the US and India are working more closely together than ever before," a senior US administration official said in April, this year.
"And I would simply say that I think the US-India relationship is trending substantially in a positive direction and that our level of engagement across every possible vector -- security, intelligence, technology, people-to-people -- has excelled," he added.
During his visit to Washington in June 2023, PM Modi had also hailed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership as a significant step in the coordination of both countries' semiconductor incentive programmes.
A few months later, another MoU on 'Enhancing Innovation Ecosystems through an Innovation Handshake' under the framework of India–US Commercial Dialogue was signed between the two countries on November 14, 2023, in San Francisco.
At the same time, the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) continues to facilitate joint defence technology innovation and co-production of advanced defence technology between the industries of the two countries.
Eco Survey: Demographic advantage, responsible approach position India to benefit from AI
With AI research and development currently concentrated in the hands of a few, very large companies that control the resources to erect high entry barriers, AI adoption in place of humans presents the risk of concentrating the benefits of automation.
Prez Murmu faces ‘repeated’ insults from Congress: Sonia Gandhi’s comments fuel backlash
The BJP was quick to condemn the remarks, calling them “derogatory” and accusing the Congress of disrespecting the President. BJP leaders said that Congress’s “feudal mindset” cannot accept that a tribal woman like Droupadi Murmu achieved the position of President of India.
India's farm sector has clocked robust growth on the back of govt schemes: Economic Survey
The agriculture sector in India has shown robust growth in recent years, averaging 5 per cent annually from FY17 to FY23, demonstrating resilience despite challenges, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.
India a bright spot in global manufacturing despite persistent geo-political tensions: Eco Survey
The global manufacturing landscape has undergone significant shifts over the past decade and India has been one of the dynamic economies that gained a greater presence in the space gradually vacated by developed countries.
Nadda strongly condemns Sonia Gandhi’s ‘poor thing’ remark for President Murmu
BJP President and Union Minister J.P. Nadda has strongly condemned senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s reference to President Droupadi Murmu as a "poor thing" while commenting on her address to Parliament.
India’s economy remains steady amidst global uncertainties: Economic Survey
India’s domestic economy remains steady amidst global uncertainties, driven by robust growth in the services sector, a rebound in agriculture, and the industrial sector picking up momentum on the back of rising private consumption, according to the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday.
Govt bullish on creating robust infra, private sector must reciprocate too: Eco Survey
The government has laid a special focus on infrastructure -- physical, digital and social -- in the last five years and those efforts would need to be supplemented with wholehearted acceptance of the need for public-private partnerships in infrastructure across the country, the Economic Survey 2024-25 said on Friday.
Forward-looking strategic trade roadmap to create more vibrant export sector: Eco Survey
The evolving global trade dynamics, marked by gradual shifts towards greater protectionism, require assessing the situation and developing a forward-looking strategic trade roadmap, the Economic Survey 2024-25, presented in the Parliament on Friday ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26, said.