Washington DC [US], September 28 : Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh asserted that the partnership between India and the US is strong. She also said that the Quad alliance is built on the core principles of ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The remarks by Singh came during a news briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday.
On a question about US-India relations, and the way forward after the conduct of 2+2 in New Delhi and the Quad Summit in the US, Singh emphasised that the Quad is a coalition of like-minded nations united by their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
"The Quad is a group of like-minded nations coming together because they believe in a free and open Indo-Pacific. That is one of the many purposes of the Quad. So in terms of where does the relationship go from here, look at the extensive amount of details that the president and the White House announced just last weekend from those high-level meetings that happened in Wilmington."
She added, "... But I think the partnership between India and the United States is certainly strong. The engagement that you saw from the president with Prime Minister Modi and others within the Quad builds upon the foundation and principles that the Quad was founded on, which is, you know, one of them being to ensure the free and open Indo-Pacific."
Notably, on September 17, US and Indian officials had gathered in New Delhi for the eighth US-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue, focusing on opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The US delegation was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P Royal, an official press release by the US Department of State relayed.
On the Indian side, Joint Secretary for the Americas Nagaraj Naidu from the Ministry of External Affairs and Joint Secretary for International Cooperation Vishwesh Negi from the Ministry of Defence led the discussions.
"India and the US held the 2+2 intersessional with officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs and Defence, and the US State and Defense Departments. Key discussions covered bilateral strategic and defense priorities, alongside regional and global issues," the MEA had said in a post on X.
During the meeting, both sides advanced key priorities, including defence cooperation, collaboration in space and civil aviation, and industrial and logistics coordination. Clean energy cooperation was also high on the agenda as the two countries aim to tackle global challenges together.
Meanwhile, during his visit to the US from September 21-23, PM Narendra Modi attended the Quad Leaders Summit in US President Joe Biden's hometown, Delaware. He delivered remarks at the United Nations 'Summit of the Future' and held bilateral meetings with several leaders.
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