India has emerged as a strong economic and strategic ally of the U.S., with room to improve on both fronts, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.
“The idea of a U.S.-India partnership frankly stretches back a long way,” Mr. Pompeo told the annual India Ideas Summit in his keynote address. “It’s not a new idea; you all know that. When the Indian people first courageously won their independence over 70 years ago, a strong relationship between our countries was something people talked about. Our two democracies and a close relationship seemed inevitable, a matter of “when” not “if.””
Mr. Pompeo said the scope for cooperation between Washington and New Delhi has expanded with the reinvigorated “Quad Dialogue” that also includes Japan and Australia.
“We respect India as a truly sovereign, important country, with its own unique politics and its own unique strategic challenges,” said Mr. Pompeo. “We get it. We realize it’s different to deal with the likes of China and Pakistan from across the ocean than it is when they are on your borders.”
He also noted that the U.S. and India have a “shared vision” for the Indo-Pacific that includes open and growing economies, liberty, sovereignty, democratic values and partnership.
The India Ideas Summit hosted over 350 leaders and delegates in government and the private sector, from the U.S. and India. The summit continues through Thursday.
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