Comments
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has voiced concern over the situation in Iraq. His stance comes within hours of US-authorised targeted air strikes against Islamic militants to protect American military personnel and prevent potential genocide of thousands of displaced religious minorities trapped on a mountaintop in north-west Iraq.
The Iraq issue came up for discussion during the meeting between Modi and visiting US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. “The Prime Minister expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in Iraq and its potential implications for the region, where India has vital stakes,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said. On his part, Hagel briefed the Prime Minister on the announcements made by President Barack Obama on the steps that the US plans to take to deal with the situation.
The Prime Minister also said early completion of the election process in Afghanistan and smooth transition of power was essential for sustaining progress towards peace, stability, democracy and development in Afghanistan. They also discussed their shared interest in peace and stability in wider Asia-Pacific region.
US visitModi, who is expected to visit the US next month for a summit meeting with Obama, said he was looking forward to his visit not just as an occasion to think in terms of “what we can do for each other, but also as an opportunity to see how the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy can build a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the world.”
The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of Defence relations in the overall strategic partnership and indicated his desire to see further progress in defence relations, including in defence manufacturing in India, technology transfer in the area of defence, exercises and higher studies in the field of defence.
Experts believe that defence co-operation between two countries will get a boost after the Modi Cabinet recently approved a hike the foreign direct investment limit in defence to 49 per cent from 26 per cent, as well as relaxed norms related to the Indian ownership issue.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.