Washington, April 27 (PTI): India is probably the one nation where the US has a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to find more common ground but both the countries have to get an understanding of each other’s interests, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said.
US President Donald Trump recently ordered government agencies to expedite and expand arms sales abroad, including exports of advanced drones to reinforce allied armies, a move expected to be helpful to countries like India.
“Probably most importantly, as we look overall at this region, I’d look at India, the largest democracy on the planet and one where we probably have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to find more common ground,” Mattis told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing.
Mattis, during a Congressional hearing, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that: “Probably most importantly, as we look overall at this region, I’d look at India, the largest democracy on the planet and one where we probably have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to find more common ground”.
“I think it’s there. We just have to find it. We don’t have to search hard for it in the sense of creating it. We just have to get an understanding of each other’s interests. I think there’s a lot of common ground there,” Mattis said.
He was responding to a question from Senator Mazie Hirono from Hawaii on the Indo-Pacific region.
In 2016, the US recognised India as a ‘Major Defence Partner’, a significant development which paved the way for the country to be treated at par with America’s closest allies for defence-related trade and technology transfer.
In September last year, India’s Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Mattis held comprehensive talks on deepening bilateral military ties, including supply of advanced defence technologies to India. They also agreed to explore additional and specialised exercises between the militaries of the two countries.
