Modi, Trump...

Making a statement to the media alongside Modi, Trump said the two sides had expanded defence cooperation with agreements to sell India Apache and MH-60R helicopters worth more than $3 billion. “These deals will enhance our joint defence capabilities as our militaries continue to train and operate side by side,” he said.

Modi described the bilateral relationship as the “most important partnership of the 21st century” and said: “Therefore, today, President Trump and I made a decision to raise our partnership to the level of a comprehensive global strategic partnership.” Until now, it has been described as a strategic partnership.

In recent years, India has acquired military equipment worth more than $18 billion from the US.

Trump said he and Modi were “revitalising the Quad initiative” comprising the US, India, Australia and Japan, which recently held their first ministerial meeting. The two sides also expanded cooperation in counter-terrorism and cyber and maritime security to ensure a free and open Indo-pacific, he said.

Modi described the growing security cooperation as a very important part of the partnership and said Indian and US defence manufacturers were becoming part of each other’s supply chains, while Indian forces are conducting maximum exercises with their American counterparts.

“In the last few years, there has been an unprecedented increase in inter-operability between our armies. In the same way, we are increasing cooperation in homeland security and fighting international crime,” Modi said, adding, “Today, we have also agreed on a new mechanism to fight serious problems such as drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and organised crime.”

Modi said the two sides had also decided to “increase our efforts to hold the supporters of terrorism responsible”, while Trump spoke about the joint commitment to protecting the citizens of the two countries from “radical Islamic terrorism”.

Without giving details, Trump added: “In this effort, the US is also working productively with Pakistan to confront terrorists who operate on its soil.”

Trump reaffirmed the support of the US for India’s permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council and for India’s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group without any delay.

The two countries concluded three agreements – a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the safety of medical products signed by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the US Food and Drug Administration, a letter of cooperation between Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Exxonmobil and Chart Industries to improve India’s natural gas distribution network, and an MOU on mental health between the health and family welfare department and the US health department.