US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in New Delhi on Monday that the United States is finalizing steps to remove barriers on civil nuclear cooperation with Indian companies, and this will help strengthen the bilateral partnership between the two countries. An important step was taken.
A landmark agreement signed in 2007 between India and the United States ended three decades of restrictions imposed on New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests and opened the door for India to acquire civilian nuclear technology. The agreement was expected to help India meet its growing energy needs.
But as per Indian rules the liability in case of accidents must be met by the firm setting up the nuclear power plant rather than the operator – which is not aligned with global norms – which has hindered US companies from setting up power plants in India. . ,
Saying that “formal paperwork” would soon be completed to remove long-standing rules on civilian nuclear cooperation, Sullivan said that “it will be a great opportunity to turn the page on some of the controversies of the past and create an opportunity for those institutions to There will be an opportunity for those who have been placed on the restricted list in the United States to come off those lists and enter into deeper collaboration with our private sector, with our scientists and technologists.
Sullivan’s visit to India comes two weeks before the new administration takes office under incoming President Donald Trump. Speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, he described India-US cooperation as vital for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Analysts say the visit highlights the strong India-US partnership that has built in recent years and a potential continuation of those ties amid common concerns over China and strong bipartisan support for the relationship.
In an editorial, Indian Express The newspaper said that an important common thread between Trump’s previous term and President Biden’s administration has been the US policy of strengthening strategic partnership with India. “These bilateral talks underscore growing strategic convergence during the final days of the transition between the two administrations in Washington,” the newspaper said.
Sullivan said an initiative launched two years ago by the two countries to strengthen their strategic technology partnership was an important component of the relationship.
Under the Critical and Emerging Technologies initiative, the two countries are moving to deepen cooperation in areas such as quantum computing, defence, artificial intelligence, 5G wireless networks and semiconductors – sectors in which China has gained a leading position.
Noting that supply chains are moving out of China, he said that “the United States, India, and other key democratic partners have been suddenly and sharply reminded that we cannot ignore the ways in which we are manipulated against each other.” Dependence can be weaponized.”
According to Manoj Joshi, distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, “This visit is basically a signal from the Biden administration that the India-US relationship is important and their cooperation on critical technologies is an important aspect of this relationship.” “But while the stars are aligned for New Delhi and Washington, we don’t really know how this will all play out under Trump.”
Sullivan met with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi. In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar said, “Our ongoing discussions continue on deepening bilateral, regional and global cooperation. Valued the openness of our dialogue over the last four years.”
Despite differences over India’s ongoing ties with Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tensions over the alleged involvement of a former Indian government employee in a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in 2023, New Delhi and Washington have in recent years Have built close relationships. An American citizen.