Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra during his visit to the United States, met several senior officials including Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks to undertake a detailed review of the progress on strengthening the bilateral strategic ties between the two nations. The officials also discussed their unified efforts directed towards the promotion of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region. Kwatra held meetings with the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Richard Verma, and Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, as well as other senior officials, news agency PTI reported.
Kwatra will participate in a series of meetings with several senior officials of the US government. He will also engage in interactions with industry leaders to advance bilateral cooperation in areas such as defence and technology.
"Hicks and Kwatra discussed priorities for strengthening the US-India defence partnership, including the implementation of the roadmap for the US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation," the report quoted Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon as saying.
According to an official statement, the two officials underscored the historic momentum in the Major Defence Partnership, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
"They applauded the efforts by both countries to advance the co-production of fighter jet engines and armoured vehicles, as well as the continued success of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) in promoting innovation and partnerships between US and Indian researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors," the statement read.
"Kwatra and Hicks also spoke about the significance of expanding the scope of US-India military engagements in order to strengthen cooperation across all domains while highlighting the shared efforts to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific," Pahon stated.
Amidst China's aggressive moves in the region, they also spoke abput a range of regional security issues and pledged commitment to collaborating closely in support of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the statement said.
The statement issued by the Indian Embassy stated that "the visit in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries and provided an opportunity to further advance our growing and future-oriented partnership."
Kwatra also held discussions with key officials at the National Security Council, the Department of Defence, and the Department of Commerce and the Department of Energy. These discussions revolved around the entire gamut of India-US ties, supply chain resilience and contemporary regional developments, growing defence and commercial ties, the embassy said.
"The top Indian diplomat also met with representatives of leading think tanks and chambers of commerce. USIBC was delighted to host Foreign Secretary Kwatra for a breakfast meeting with our Board Chair and Nasdaq Executive Vice Chairman Ed Knight. They engaged in discussions on deepening investment channels, fostering innovation and technology, and strengthening the commercial ties between our countries," the US-Indian Business Council had said on X.