New Delhi
US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan will be arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday (June 13) to hammer out the agreements that will be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first state visit to the Washington next week.
Sullivan, alongside his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval will look to flesh out details regarding future multi-pronged bilateral cooperation plans. The two nations may agree upon setting up a $2.7 billion chip-making facility in India by Idaho-based Micron Technology. Additionally, the deal finalising the manufacturing of US aircraft engines and sharing high-performance quantum computing technology could also be reached, according to an HT report.
Tejas aircraft to receive F-414 engine
The biggest talking point, however, remains the 100 per cent transfer of technology for the manufacturing of General Electric's F-414 engine. Despite resistance from the State Department, Sullivan, alongside the Pentagon has lobbied for India to receive the engine, pivotal for operating the Tejas Mark II fighter. The 4.5-generation medium-weight-class fighter aircraft is expected to lead the lines for Indian Air Force in years to come and replace the highly-fragile MiG-21 aircraft.
The two sides may also discuss cyber security threats as China continues to pose a challenge in the sphere. The two NSAs will attempt to chalk out a deal that helps allies protect themselves on the internet against attacks from adversarial countries.
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Accompanied by Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the National Security Council Kurt Campbell, Sullivan is expected to call upon PM Modi and meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as well.
PM Modi will be the first Indian PM since Manmohan Singh in 2009 to undertake a state visit to the US. the visit assumes importance as the two allies attempt to manoeuvre the increasingly intricate global landscape. White House is already pulling all stops, describing the upcoming visit as a reaffirmation of the "deep and close partnership" between the two nations.
Defining relationship of century: Blinken
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the visit will solidify the “defining relationship’ of the 21st century.”
“We’re here almost literally, on the eve of what we believe will be a historic state visit by Prime Minister Modi – one that will further solidify what President Biden has called a ‘defining relationship’ of the 21st century," said Blinken at the annual India Ideas Summit of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington on Monday.
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In his address, Blinken highlighted the robust trade relations between India and the US which has reached a record $191 billion, making Washington the largest trading partner for New Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
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