Envoy supports India’s UNSC membership bid
US Ambassador to India Richard Verma goes through a project report of the autonomous underwater vehicle during his visit to IIT-Madras centre for innovation on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: United States of America (USA) has reaffirmed its support for India’s aspiration for membership in the reformed United Nations Security Council. The U.S. has also urged India to play a ‘leadership’ role in Paris at the climate talks. While delivering his remarks about ‘United States and India: a relationship on the move’, at IIT Madras on Monday, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma described India as a global strategic, political and economic player.
He recalled a series of developments in India last week, including resumption of Indo-Pak talks on key security and economic issues, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi securing important commercial and energy deals during his five-nation Central Asian tour and Isro launching five British satellites. “This is the new normal – India as the global strategic, political and economic player. We welcome that role and will continue to be supportive of India’s global aspirations. We will continue to support India’s bid for UNSC membership in a reformed security council,” he said.
Referring to the Indo-US aircraft carrier working group, Verma said it would meet soon to discuss about how systems in aircraft carriers operated by both the countries could operate together and what technologies could be used. A major naval exercise, Malabar, will include the Japanese Navy this year and will continue to build a common operating platform for conducting advanced humanitarian and disaster response missions, as well as military operations, he said.
Similarly, Yudh Abhyas, involving the Indo-US armies, will take place at Washington in September, which he said will bring them closer together to forge common understandings on battlefield tactics and strategy. In the meantime Indian and US Air Forces will ‘rejoin our signature’ Red Flag exercise in the US in 2016, he added.
Stating that US looks forward for a day very soon when, for the first time, secure phone lines would be established between the National Security Advisors, as well as between the President and Prime Minister, Mr Verma said it would further open key channels of communication on sensitive issues.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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