‘US wants to continue expanding Defence, security ties with India’

The Trump Administration plans to continue to expand its defence and security cooperation with India and support New Delhi’s growing relationships throughout South Asia, a top US official has said.

Speaking with PTI, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said the US-India strategic partnership was based on a shared commitment to uphold the rule of law and free and fair trade among other things.

“The US-India strategic partnership stands firmly upon a shared commitment to uphold the rule of law, freedom of navigation, democratic values, and free and fair trade. We plan to continue to expand our defence and security cooperation and support India’s growing relationships throughout the region,” Wells said.

Wells has been running the crucial South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department for more than a year now in the Trump Administration in the absence of an Assistant Secretary of State.

Responding to a question on her impression about the India-US relationship in more than a year of the Trump Administration, Wells quoted the US president and said the ties “had never been stronger, never been better”.