World News | Jake Sullivan Calls on PM Modi; Says India Visit Likely Last Trip Overseas as NSA

New Delhi [India], January 7 (ANI): US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and also met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval with the visiting leader announcing United States efforts to finalize necessary steps to delist Indian nuclear entities, which will promote civil nuclear cooperation and resilient clean energy supply chains.

PM Modi and Jake Sullivan positively assessed the significant advancement in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership over the last four years, especially in the key areas of technology, defence, space, civil nuclear, clean energy, semiconductors, and AI.

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Recalling his various meetings with President Biden, including during his visit to the US in September 2024 for the Quad Leaders' Summit, the PM appreciated President Biden's contributions towards strengthening of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, which leaves an enduring legacy, Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

PM Modi deeply appreciated a letter from President Biden handed over to him by NSA Sullivan.

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The Prime Minister reaffirmed his commitment to continue to deepen close cooperation between the two democracies for the benefit of the people of the two countries and for the global good.

PM Modi conveyed his best wishes to President Biden and the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Sullivan spoke earlier in the day at an event at IIT Delhi and said his visit to India is likely the last trip overseas that he will lead as NSA and he cannot think of a better way to end his tenure in the White House.

Sullivan said the United States is finalizing the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India's leading nuclear entities and US Companies.

"Although former President Bush and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh laid out a vision of civil nuclear cooperation nearly 20 years ago, we have yet to fully realize it. But as we work to build clean energy technologies to enable growth in artificial intelligence, and to help US and Indian energy companies unlock their innovation potential, the Biden administration has determined that it is past time to take the next major step in cementing this partnership," he said.

"So today I can announce that the United States is now finalizing the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India's leading nuclear entities and US Companies. The formal paperwork will be done soon but this will be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past and create opportunities for entities that have been on restricted lists in the United States to come off those lists and enter into deep collaboration with the United States, with our private sector, scientists and technologists to move civil nuclear cooperation forward together," he added.

He expressed optimism that the technological cooperation between the United States and India will get strengthened in the coming years.

"This is likely the last trip overseas that I will lead as NSA and I cannot think of a better way to end my tenure in the White House, visiting India on my final overseas trip to mark the advances that we have made together over the past four years. This is a shared and historic achievement...I have every reason to believe that within the next decade, we will see American and Indian firms working together to build the next generation of semiconductor technologies, American and Indian astronauts conducting cutting-edge research and space exploration together," he said.

In their meeting, Doval and Sullivan reviewed progress in their high-level dialogue including in diverse fields such as defence, cyber and maritime security.

According to a joint press release after meeting of the two NSAs, Sullivan briefed the Indian side on the updates brought out by the Biden administration to US missile export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) that will boost US commercial space cooperation with India.

"Reflecting the progress the United States and India have made--and will continue to make--as strategic partners and countries with a shared commitment to peaceful nuclear cooperation, NSA Sullivan announced US efforts to finalize necessary steps to delist Indian nuclear entities, which will promote civil nuclear cooperation and resilient clean energy supply chains," Ministry of External Affairs said in a release.

The release said that the two NSAs have engaged regularly in a high-level dialogue through extensive discussions on a broad bilateral, regional and global agenda.

"Following the launch of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) by Prime Minister Modi and President Joseph Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Summit in Tokyo on May 24, 2022, the two NSAs have driven concrete initiatives between the two countries across a range of areas including Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Semiconductors, Telecommunications, Defence and Space," the release said.

"The current visit gave them the opportunity to review ongoing progress in their high-level dialogue, including in diverse fields such as defence, cyber and maritime security," it added.

In his remarks at the event at IIT Delhi, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said the ties between the United States and India have been strengthened not just due to the work of the two governments but people, institutions, thinkers and researchers.

He also paid tributes to US President Jimmy Carter who passed away last month.

"We will mark the life of a great statesman who died at the age of 100 years. A great American president, but also a great human being who came here at a low point in the United States and India relations and sought to lay down a foundation to reclaim the friendship," he said.

He recalled that the US had pressed for India's independence. "We advocated even against our close ally, Great Britain for the independence of the Indian people," he said.

He also spoke of strong bilateral ties as the Biden administration completes its term.

"The completion of a chapter as a new one begins, the summary of the work that has happened not just between two governments, between two national security advisors, a President and a Prime Minister, but the peoples, the institutions, the thinkers, the researchers, the investors, the builders, the doers, those folks that come together to imagine a world that is not yet, but that when we close our eyes we hope maybe," he said. (ANI)

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