Sitharaman, Mattis hold talks, agree to boost ties

Washington, Dec. 4: India and the US have agreed to accelerate their defence and security ties as Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her American counterpart James Mattis reviewed ongoing initiatives to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation as a “key pillar” of the strategic partnership.

US Defence Secretary Mattis, who welcomed Sitharaman to the Pentagon on Monday for the fourth set of talks between them this year, described India as a “stabilising force” across the Indo-Pacific and the globe.

“The United States and India, in Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s words, have overcome hesitations of history, carrying forward the legacy of friendship and making clear there is no contradiction between strategic autonomy and strategic partnership,” Mattis said.

The two leaders discussed the growing partnership between India and US in the defence sphere and also exchanged views on a broad range of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest, said an official statement in New Delhi. “They reviewed ongoing initiatives to further strengthen bilateral defe-nce cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between India and the US,” it said.

“Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, building on the discussions and outcomes of the ‘2+2 Dialogue,” the statement added.