India-US to increase cooperation in defense, welcome progress on trade agreement

New Delhi. India and America on Monday welcomed progress in negotiations for bilateral trade agreements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Vice President JD Vance discussed increasing cooperation in the fields of defense, energy and technology. After the official talks, Modi hosted a dinner for Vance, his wife of Indian origin Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ivan, Vivek and Mirabel at his residence 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Prime Minister Modi conveyed heartfelt wishes to Vance for President Donald Trump. He said that he is looking forward to his visit to India later this year.

PM Modi and Vance also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Also, emphasised on dialogue and diplomacy to move forward. Vance’s first visit to India comes just weeks after US President Trump imposed and then suspended new tariffs on nearly 60 countries, including India. India and the US are now negotiating a bilateral trade deal, as agreed during Modi and Trump’s talks in Washington DC in February. The trade deal is likely to cover a number of issues, including tariffs and market access.

Progress reviewed in various areas of bilateral cooperation
The release said Prime Minister Modi and Vice President Vance reviewed progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation. It said, “They welcomed the progress made in negotiations for a mutually beneficial India-US bilateral trade agreement focused on the welfare of the people of both countries. They also noted ongoing efforts to enhance cooperation in energy, defence, strategic technologies and other areas.” This is the first time that the two sides have publicly announced that significant progress has been made in negotiations for the first phase of a bilateral trade deal, which is likely to be finalised by the end of this year.

What was said in the release issued after the meeting
The delegation of Indian negotiators will travel to the US on Wednesday to hold talks with US officials on the BTA. The release said that the Prime Minister recalled his visit to Washington DC in February and his fruitful discussions with President Donald Trump, which laid down a roadmap for closer cooperation between India and the US. The two leaders also discussed various regional and global issues of mutual interest. The Prime Minister wished the US Vice President, his wife and their children a pleasant and useful stay in India.

Trump likely to visit India
President Trump is likely to visit India later this year to attend the annual summit of the Quad group. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Shaktikanta Das were part of the Indian delegation at the talks. The focus of the talks was on early finalisation of the bilateral trade agreement as well as promoting ties in various sectors including defense and energy. The US Vice President and his family arrived in Delhi after their visit to Italy over the weekend. Vance is the first US Vice President to visit India in 12 years. Earlier in 2013, Joe Biden visited New Delhi.