- India, which remains a strategic partner for the US, is free to decide on its stance on any particular crisis or contingency around the world, including in the Middle East, the White House has said.
- The remarks came in response to a question if the US sees any role for India in resolving the Middle East crisis given that New Delhi has good relations with both Israel and Palestine.
- This position is in line with what a senior State Department official said earlier this month, where he stressed that India and the US share the goal of preventing the spread of the current conflict in the Middle East.
- The State Department said the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi this week will focus on deepening security cooperation between the two countries.
India remains a strategic partner for the United States, a top White House official said Wednesday adding that it is for New Delhi to decide what their stand is going to be on any particular crisis around the world including the one in the Middle East.
The remarks by John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, came in response to a question if the US sees any role for India in resolving the Middle East crisis given that New Delhi has good relations with both Israel and Palestine.
This position is in line with what a senior State Department official said earlier this month, where he stressed that India and the US share the goal of preventing the spread of the current conflict in the Middle East and advancing a two-state solution for Palestine. These remarks come as the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on November 10.
On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar would host their American counterparts, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for the high-stakes annual talks in the national capital. “The 2+2 will enable a high-level review of progress being made in cross-cutting aspects of defence and security cooperation, technology value chain collaborations and people-to-people ties,” the MEA said in a statement.
The State Department said the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi this week will focus on deepening security cooperation between the two countries. “India is a country that we have a deep partnership with. Blinken will be going for the 2+2 security dialogue with Secretary of Defense Austin, so I expect, of course, that deepening the security cooperation and partnership will be one of the many topics that are discussed,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference.
India had described Hamas’s multi-pronged attack on Israeli cities on October 7 as terror strikes but at the same time called for strict observance of the international humanitarian law following concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza in view of Israel’s counter-offensive.
“India remain a key strategic partner. And we’re dedicated to advancing that partnership every single day,” Kirby said.
(With inputs from agencies)
