India and the United States on Friday reaffirmed the strength of their defence relationship underscoring their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin H Kahl met visiting Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to reaffirm the strength of the defence relationship between the US and India, Defence Spokesperson Eric Pahon said in a readout of the meeting.
India is the only designated Major Defence Partner of the United States, he said.
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The Foreign Secretary and Under Secretary underscored their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to sustain a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, Pahon said.
The officials also discussed Afghanistan and a range of regional issues of shared interest, as well as key areas of defence cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and western Indian Ocean region, he added.
Shringla and Kahl agreed to continue coordination on a robust set of shared priorities ahead of this year's US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the readout said.