New Delhi: India and the United States have a growing convergence of strategic interests, and both sides seek a durable and rules-based international order that protects all countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday
Singh said that the recent India-US "2+2" dialogue and successful chat between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden have laid the groundwork for a more ambitious and strategic relationship between the two countries. In an address at the American Chamber of Commerce in India, defence minister said both India and the United States share a vision of a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region.
"As both countries seek a durable, rules-based international system that defends sovereignty and territorial integrity, upholds democratic ideals, and promotes peace and prosperity for all," he said, "we are seeing an increasing convergence of strategic interests."
The Defence Minister also called the India-US commercial partnership "one of the defining business relationships of the twenty-first century," noting that bilateral trade has increased in the recent year, topping USD 113 billion in goods.
"In light of this growing commerce, discussions in the India-US Trade Policy Forum to expand bilateral trade, remove market access impediments, and improve corporate ease of doing business become increasingly vital," he said. The "defence pillar" of the US-India relationship, is strong and rising, he said.
"It's founded on foundational bilateral agreements, military-to-military engagements, defence capability enhancement collaboration, and now a new emphasis on co-development and co-production," he added.
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