Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser of the United States began his two-day long visit of India on Monday with a meeting with S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister. While discussing the details of their relations, they mentioned multiple bilateral, regional, and international concerns.
Sullivan has reached New Delhi at the invitation of his counterpart, Ajit Doval, to discuss, inter alia, the much-delayed re-evaluation of the India-US iCET proposal. But Sullivan had twice delayed his trips to India due to the US administration’s concern with the Israel-Hamas war.
Later, Jaishankar wrote on X about the meeting, emphasizing that the sides have had a “wide-ranging exchange on bilateral, regional and multilateral matters of mutual interests,” without giving details. He said he was confident that the India-US strategic partnership will continue to deepen effectively in the new government term after the recent general election in India.
Sullivan will be accompanied by a group of high-ranking officials from the US government and top executives from the nation’s industries. The two NSAs that engage in consultations are at strategic heights with frequency in bilateral, regional and global issues aligning with the shared vision of the India-US global strategic partnership. This visit seeks to further enhance this cooperation which was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President Joe Biden during the Quad leaders’ Summit held in Tokyo in May this year.
The iCET framework initiated by the two NSAs underlines collaboration, particularly in the strategic sectors, including semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, defence and space, telecommunication, and others. More recent meetings have broadened iCET’s definitions to new fields of biotechnology, processing for critical minerals and rare earths, digital connectivity and infrastructure, and advanced materials.
Sullivan’s visit is more to assess what has been done and accomplished under the iCET banner and then agree on new paradigms and produceables. Bilateral matters and a broad evaluation of the India-US relationship will be on the agenda on Monday, as the parties will work on formulating policies related to regional and global concerns.
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