Rajnath speaks to his US counterpart, the two NSAs also talk, Indo-US ties to deepen further

New Delhi, Jan. 28 (Agency) After Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with his newly appointed U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, the National Security Advisors Ajit Doval also had a telephonic conversation with his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan on Wednesday. It was the first phone call from the recently sworn-in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Spoke with my US counterpart Secretary Defence Austin and conveyed my warm wishes on his appointment. We reiterated our firm commitment to deepen India-US defence cooperation. We exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interst to strengthen our strategic partnership,’ Mr Singh said in a tweet. During telephonic conversation with his US counterpart, Mr Doval also conveyed his best wishes to him on Mr Sullivan’s appointment as National Security Advisor.

NSA Doval underscored that as leading democracies, with an abiding faith in an open and inclusive world order, India and the U.S. were uniquely positioned to work closely on regional and international issues including combating the scourge of terrorism, maritime security, cyber security and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,’ the Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.NSA Sullivan stated that the U.S. was looking forward to working together on the bilateral agenda and the common global challenges.The two NSAs agreed to work closely to further advance India-U.S. relations, which are built on shared values and common strategic and security interests. They highlighted the need to work collectively to address challenges in the post-Covid era and further expand the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, the MEA said.