Smita Sharma   

India and the United States on Wednesday discussed key issues of counter terrorism, trade, visas and Indo-Pacific vision along sidelines of East Asia Summit in Singapore.

PM Narendra Modi met with US Vice President Mike Pence, a first meeting since June 2017 when Modi travelled to White House to meet with President Donald Trump. “Critical discussion with India’s Prime Minister @narendramodi while in Singapore. Spoke about our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific & reaffirmed our commitment to strengthen security and counterterrorism cooperation and coordination,” tweeted Pence.

With the tenth anniversary of Mumbai terror strikes less than a fortnight away, terrorism emanating from Pakistan as well as brazenness of terror masterminds like Hafiz Saeed roaming freely was discussed too. Modi reminded Pence that ‘in one way or another all the traces or all the leads in global terror attacks ultimately leads to a single source, a single place of origin’.

“In that context he did point out that the mainstreaming of the people involved in Mumbai terror attacks in a political process which had taken place in a recent election in Pakistan should be a matter of serious concern not just to the two countries i.e. India and United States but to the International community,” said Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale later.

The meeting follows just days after India and seven others were granted a temporary exemption from US sanctions that kicked in against oil trade with Iran on November 4. The sword to drastically reduce crude imports from Tehran still hangs heavy on New Delhi. “We have begun importing oil and gas from United States. It is expected to be valued about $4 billion this year and we expressed our readiness to import more oil and more gas from the United States as a way of expanding our trade,” said Gokhale.

US concerns on trade which remains a grudge for Trump were also conveyed to the Indian side with Modi assuring that trade deficits would be reduced further. “Vice President Pence also encouraged free, fair, and reciprocal trade with India,” said a formal US statement.

Since his last telephonic conversation with Modi in February this year, Trump has at least on three occasions raked up issue of high import duty on Harley-Davidson. The two top leaders could meet along sidelines of G20 summit in Argentina end of this month.

Modi and Pence met just hours after Trump hosted a Diwali event in White House with Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna in attendance and praised contribution of Indo-Americans. Modi expressed hope that role of the diaspora would be considered by Trump administration when it ‘looks at the whole issue of the H1B visa’.

Meanwhile, ahead of third round of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in Singapore at level of joint secretaries from India, Australia, US and Japan, Modi-Pence meet also focussed on ‘free and open’ Indo-Pacific goals.

Courtesy: The Tribune: 14th Nov, 2018