Jake Sullivan's Delhi visit to deepen already strong US-India partnership: John Kirby

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby has said that US NSA Jake Sullivan's visit to New Delhi will further deepen the already strong US-India ties to create a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific.

During a news conference on Monday, Kirby told reporters, "As the world's two oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India share a unique bond of friendship, and Mr Sullivan's trip will further deepen the already strong US-India partnership to create a safer and more prosperous Indo-Pacific."

Sullivan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Monday.

During the second Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, also known as iCET meeting, both the NSAs had set the vision for the next chapter of our strategic technology partnership, a statement issued by the White House said.

The White House said that both the NSAs underscored their commitment to orienting our cooperation around breakthrough achievements in priority critical and emerging technology areas and enhancing coordination with like-minded nations to deliver secure, reliable, and cost-competitive technology solutions for the American and Indian people and our partners around the world.

Since the launch of iCET in January 2023, both nations have made significant strides toward deepening and expanding strategic cooperation across key technology, sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy, it said.

Preparing for the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, a jointly developed satellite that will map the entirety of the Earth’s surface twice every 12 days as the US and India work together to combat climate change and other global challenges, it said.

The White House announced launching a new partnership between the US Space Force and the Indian startups, 114ai and 3rdiTech, including on advancing space situational awareness, data fusion technologies, and infra-red sensor semiconductor manufacturing.

Kirby did not reply to questions on Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's murder accused Nikhil Gupta who has been extradited to the US from the Czech Republic.

Gupta had pleaded not guilty when he was produced by a federal court in New York on Monday.

The US NSA's two-day visit ending on Tuesday, June 18, is the first trip to India by a senior official of the Joe Biden administration after the Modi government came to power for the third term.