India, US resolve to address trade concerns, strengthen defence ties
Washington: India and the US on Tuesday resolved to address specific trade concerns, expand bilateral trade, remove market access barriers, and improve ease of doing business.
They also reaffirmed their ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defence partnership in which militaries of the two nations coordinate closely together across all domains.
A joint statement issued after Fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue also said the two nations decided to put in place a framework to advance cooperation in Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) such as advanced communication technology, artificial intelligence, quantum science, STEM, semi-conductors and biotechnology.
US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III, Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar participated in the dialogue.
The dialogue was preceded by a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden.
There has been some disquiet in Washington over India's position on the Ukraine crisis as well as its decision to procure discounted Russian oil.
"India's relationship with Russia was developed over decades at a time when the United States was not able to be a partner to India. Times have changed," Blinken told reporters.
"Today, we are able and willing to be a partner of choice with India across virtually every realm: commerce, technology, education and security. And that was very much the nature of the conversation that we had today. When it comes to oil purchases, sanctions, et cetera, I'd just note that there are carve-outs for energy purchases," he said in response to a question.
Blinken said the US has not yet made any decision on potential sanctions or waivers to India under CATSAA law for its purchase of the S-400 missile defence system from Russia. Unlike its Quad partner countries, India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it abstained from the votes at the UN platforms on the Russian aggression.
Jaishankar said India has made a number of statements (on Russia-Ukraine war) which outline its position in the United Nations, in Indian Parliament, and in other forums. "And briefly, what those positions state is that we are against the conflict. We are for dialogue and diplomacy. We are for urgent cessation of violence, and we are prepared to contribute in whatever way to these objectives," he asserted.
The Ministers reiterated their commitment to work together in close coordination at the UNSC and in international organisations. The US reaffirmed its continued support for India's permanent membership in a reformed UNSC and for India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, said the joint statement.
The statement said the ministers underlined the importance of strengthening the commercial and economic pillar of the India-U S partnership to advance economic growth and deliver mutual prosperity for both countries.
They appreciated the rebound in bilateral trade between the two countries over the last year, surpassing $113 billion in goods.
They also welcomed the 12th ministerial-level meeting of the India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) and the renewal of Working Group discussions to expand bilateral trade, remove market access barriers, and improve ease of doing business.
"They looked forward to both sides developing action plans that identify and prioritise the resolution of specific trade concerns to build on the progress made during the last TPF ministerial meeting," it said.
The ministers noted the substantial progress in negotiations for an Investment Incentive Agreement (IIA) between the governments of India and the US.
It provides a framework for DFC to continue to expand its investment in India - for private sector-led projects in critical areas such as renewable energy, agriculture, healthcare, and SME financing.
The ministers encouraged negotiators to resolve remaining issues so that IIA may be concluded as soon as possible, the statement said.
The two sides commended the significant and continuing progress in the India-US Major Defence Partnership.
During the meeting, India's focus on developing its domestic capabilities and helping to ensure reliable defence supplies was highlighted.
The ministers said they were committed to work closely across their respective governments on co-production, co-development, cooperative testing of advanced systems, investment promotion, and the development of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in India.
The ministers also acknowledged the importance of deepening collaboration in science and technology in the India-US Joint Technical Group (JTG), and in evolving new defence domains, including space, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber.
They underscored the importance of cooperation in space and welcomed plans to conduct an inaugural Defence Space Dialogue in 2022. They welcomed the second Defence Cyber Dialogue held in 2021 and look forward to the next round this year.
"Drawing on the momentum from the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting in October 2021, they reaffirmed their ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defence partnership in which the US and Indian militaries coordinate closely together across all domains," the statement said.
The four ministers called on the Taliban to abide by UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which demands that Afghan territory must never again be used to threaten or attack any country or shelter or train terrorists or plan or finance terrorist attacks.
They asked Pakistan to take "immediate, sustained, and irreversible action" to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist attacks and called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack and Pathankot attack to be brought to justice.
