Washington/New Delhi: The US has termed India as an essential partner, both in terms of the Quad and bilaterally, to realise the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, at a media briefing on Tuesday, also said that notwithstanding New Delhi’s historical ties with Russia, the US is a partner of choice for India now. Answering a question on what the US felt about India’s stance on Russia and if all the Quad partners are in sync over it, Ned Price said: “Let me say in terms of India’s place in the Quad, in terms of our relationship with India in the Quad context and the bilateral context, we know that India is an essential partner for us in realizing our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. That is really at the heart of the Quad’s goals.” Referring to the virtual Quad summit meeting that was held on March 3 over the Ukrainian crisis, and the Melbourne meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in mid February, he said: “During these engagements, the Secretary and the President respectively reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states are respected, and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion. In fact, we heard that emanate from the leaders call on March 3rd. These are principles that we share with our Quad partners. They also reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and security.” Speaking of India’s defence and security relationship with Russia, he said: “As you know, our Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Toria Nuland was – has been in India recently, and she made a very similar point, making the point that India has – of course had a historic defense and security relationship with Russia over time. That relationship came of age and came together at a time when the United States, nor some of our partners, were prepared to have that kind of relationship with India. It was a very different time, different considerations, but those times have changed. “They’ve changed in terms of our willingness and ability to be a strong defense and security partner of India. This is a bilateral relationship that has deepened in a number of ways over the past 25 years or so. This has also happened on a bipartisan basis. It is a legacy in large part of the George W. Bush administration, where we have seen this bilateral relationship between the United States and India evolve and change for the better and deepen in a number of ways, including in our defense and security relationship.” “So, the fact is that we are a partner of India now. We are a partner of India when it comes to shared interests, when it comes to the values we share in a free and open Indo-Pacific. And we’ve invested in that relationship in terms of our defense and security. “So historical relationships notwithstanding, we are a partner of choice for India now, as are many of our partners and allies around the world.” UNI RN
