India-US defence ties are an important pillar of the bilateral partnership: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday underlined the importance of defence ties between India and the United States, terming them as a key component of the overall bilateral relationship.

The India–US defence partnership, underpinned by foundational defence agreements is an important pillar of the bilateral partnership, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly briefing.

“This robust cooperation has strengthened across all domains. We are expecting a US Defence Policy Team to be in Delhi in mid-August. The 21st edition of the joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ is also expected to take place later this month in Alaska. Both sides remain engaged to convene the 2+2 Intersessional meeting at the working level towards the end of this month,” he added.

On the recent Human Rights report issued by the US State Department, Jaiswal reiterated India’s strong objection, saying such assessments were “a mix of imputations, misrepresentations and one-sided projections” that showed “a poor understanding of India’s democratic framework, pluralistic society and robust institutional mechanisms for protecting human rights.”

He said India did not attach “any credence to such biased assessments” and remained focused on advancing human rights “through inclusive governance and development.”

Jaiswal also said no decision had yet been taken on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the United Nations General Assembly later this year.