US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday held extensive talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and also External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his visit to Delhi for the second meeting of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). This marked the first visit of a senior American official after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government returned for a third term.
Sullivan is on an official visit to Delhi on June 17 and 18.
Taking to X, Jaishankar welcomed Sullivan to Delhi and exuded confidence in India-US's strategic ties advancing "strongly in our new term".
"Delighted to welcome US NSA Jake Sullivan in New Delhi today morning. A comprehensive discussion on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Confident that India-US strategic partnership will continue to advance strongly in our new term," the External Affairs Minister tweeted.
During the meeting between Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan, the two top security officials were learnt to have deliberated upon pressing global and regional matters of mutual interest.
The US National Security Adviser was accompanied by a delegation of senior American officials and industry leaders.
Sullivan is also expected to call on PM Modi.
The iCET is a collaboration by the US and India to boost cooperation in the fields of technology. Following its launch by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Tokyo in May 2022, Doval and Sullivan have driven a concerted effort to engage in identified areas of collaboration in diverse domains of new and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, defence innovation, space and advanced telecommunications.
Jake Sullivan was scheduled to visit India earlier this year in February but had to reschedule due to other commitments in the US.
Earlier this month, Sullivan's visit to India was discussed during the call made by US President Joe Biden to PM Modi to congratulate him for his electoral win in the general elections. Both leaders stressed their commitment to deepen the US-India Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership and to advance their "shared vision of a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region", a White House statement said.
Source: India Today