At his daily news conference on June 16, 2023, the spokesperson of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said that India plays a crucial role in ensuring a free, open, connected, prosperous, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific.
“Our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships, We look closely with India on our most vital priorities. They play a crucial role in ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure and resilient,” he said.
Adding further, Miller said the Secretary of the State, Tony Blinken, looks forward to meeting PM Narendra Modi and other members of the Indian delegation while they are here and working to make progress on all issues with which we consult with India.”
PM Narendra Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They will host a state dinner on June 22, 2023, The visit also includes an address to the Joint Session of the Congress on the same day.
Responding to a question asked regarding the visa delays, Miller said US consular teams and agencies have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India, including those visa categories that are key to the bilateral relationship.
“This is a top priority of our government. We know that there is more work that we can do, and we are working hard to do it,” he said.
When asked about the Human Rights issues in India, he says that there are a number of issues with which the US wants to work with India. It regularly raises these issues with Indian Government officials about its human rights concerns.
“I will also say that with respect to protests, we support the right of every American to exercise their First Amendments rights to make their voices heard. Earlier in these briefings, we talked about a very vigorous exercise of the First Amendment Rights that has been happening outside our building for, I do not know, a week or two now; we continue to support the right of Americans to do so.” Miller said.
Responding to a question on the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, he said: “I have heard that the new diplomat is actually a celebrity in India, as well.
“Let me say again that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We really look forward to the visit next week. In addition to hosting Prime Minister Modi at the White House, there will be a state lunch here at the State Department, and we look forward to it.” Miller said.
In March 2023, Garcetti, the former Mayor of Los Angeles, was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India by Vice-President Kamala Harris during a ceremonial event. His nomination has been pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was nominated by President Joe Biden.
India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free and peaceful Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of the Chinese Navy military manoeuvring in the region.
India, along with the US, Japan, and Australia, are members of a maritime alliance called “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue”, more commonly referred to as the QUAD. All four nations conduct regular military naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific Region called “Malabar Exercises”
For India, South East Asia is at the centre of the Indo-Pacific. India asserts a common rules-based order in the region along with a free, inclusive and open Indo-Pacific Region.
The Indo-Pacific Region is a marine theatre that combines the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding land masses. It was earlier known as Asia Pacific.
Some geopolitical conflicts within the realm of Indo-Pacific are the South China Sea conflict between China and the Southeast Asian nations (Vietnam, Malaysia), East China Sea Conflict with Japan and aggressive Chinese forays into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
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