Secy Pompeo ‘excited’ about India trip, sees opportunity to strengthen Indo-US ties
New Delhi,: The US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and his team are ‘excited’ about his trip to India beginning on Tuesday and the Trump administration sees there is an
“unprecedented opportunity to broaden and deepen the relationship”.
“Secretary and his team and myself included are excited about the trip. We’re at a high point in the US-India Strategic Partnership, and we think we have an unprecedented opportunity to broaden and deepen that relationship,” an US official has said at the State Department’s background briefing on Mr Pompeo’s visit to India.
The American official said the “purpose” of the trip is for the Secretary to broaden and deepen our relationships in New Delhi.
“And while there, the Secretary is going to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new counterpart, Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar, who’s really one of the visionaries behind the expansion of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership”.
The official further said: “Prime Minister Modi’s historic win and his sweeping mandate in recent elections offer, we believe, a unique opportunity for him to implement his vision for a strong and prosperous India that plays a leading role on the global stage”.
“…..we want to seize this moment early in his second administration to accelerate what has been the upward trajectory of our relationship and to set some ambitious goals,” the official said adding “We have a solid foundation to build on”.
The U.S.-India partnership is grounded in a shared commitment to democratic values and the rule of law, she said.
Trade obviously is going to be a topic of conversation in the Secretary Pompeo’s meetings with Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar.
The official further said: “Secretary Pompeo will talk specifically with his counterpart about expanding security, energy, and space cooperation, among other things”.
Mr Pompeo will also meet with Indian business leaders to discuss “our vision for the economic dimension of the partnership”.
The US Secretary of State is likely to deliver a speech on the future of the relationship to an audience in New Delhi.
Last week in a statement here, Ministry of External Affairs has said: “Secretary Pompeo’s visit will be an important opportunity for both sides to explore ways to further strengthen the India-U.S. Strategic Partnership, and continue the high-level engagement on matters of mutual interest including bilateral, regional, and global issues.”
UNI.