India and the United States have agreed to sustain the momentum generated by President Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi last month and follow up on key issues, including implementation of the nuclear deal, clean energy and climate cooperation. The issues were touched upon at a meeting that Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had with US National Security Advisor Susan Rice here on Friday.
“Ambassador Rice congratulated Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on his recent promotion to Foreign Secretary and affirmed that she looks forward to working with him to further advance the US-India relationship,” said a statement by US National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan. “They also exchanged views on regional events and agreed that the United States and India will engage in more frequent and deeper consultations on global and multilateral issues,” the statement said.
Jaishankar, the former Indian Ambassador in Washington who went to New Delhi in connection with the Obama visit, was elevated by the Modi Government as Foreign Secretary immediately after the visit. He is now in Washington, making farewell calls -- long after having taken charge of his new responsibilities in New Delhi, including making a visit to China along with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Meanwhile, the State Department has announced that the first India-US Space Security Dialogue would be held in early March in New Delhi. This dialogue aims at “maintaining long-term security and sustainability of the outer space environment, including space situational awareness and collision avoidance in outer space”. Frank Rose, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, will lead the US delegation for this specialised dialogue.