Jake Sullivan announces US efforts to finalise necessary steps to delist Indian nuclear entities

US NSA Sullivan briefed the Indian side on the updates brought out by the Biden administration to US missile export control policies under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) that will boost US commercial space cooperation with India, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release.

In a press release, MEA said, "Reflecting the progress the United States and India have made--and will continue to make--as strategic partners and countries with a shared commitment to peaceful nuclear cooperation, NSA Sullivan announced US efforts to finalize necessary steps to delist Indian nuclear entities, which will promote civil nuclear cooperation and resilient clean energy supply chains."

For the meeting, NSA Sullivan was accompanied by a delegation of senior US government officials. Doval and Sullivan have engaged regularly in a high-level dialogue through extensive discussions on a broad bilateral, regional and global agenda.

After the launch of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) by Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Summit in Tokyo on 24 May 2022, NSA Doval and NSA Sullivan have driven concrete initiatives between the two countries in various sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Semiconductors, Telecommunications, Defence and Space.

"The current visit gave them the opportunity to review ongoing progress in their high-level dialogue, including in diverse fields such as Defence, Cyber and Maritime Security," MEA said in a press release.

On Monday, Sullivan also visited IIT Delhi and noted Ajit Doval's efforts to propel US-India partnerships on various projects.

In his address at IIT Delhi on Monday, Sullivan said, "I would like to recognise my counterpart, the National Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, because it was in part his vision. That technology, and particularly advanced technologies of the future would be a propellant for the US-India relationship in a way that could take our two countries forward, advance our respective interests, protect our respective values, and build a better world for everybody."

"And through this partnership, through this initiative, and through so many other things that Ajit and I have had to deal with over the course of the past 4 years, he and I have developed a deep personal relationship, a deep professional relationship, and it is that relationship in part I believe that has helped play such a critical role in ensuring that the US-India partnership has reached a new high level," he added.

Sullivan highlighted new premises where India and the US could collaborate, like biotechnology, Artificial intelligence, etc. He said, "Now the fundamental premise of I said is that in an era of renewed geopolitical competition, the US and India have to collaborate on the development, diffusion and protection of critical technologies from artificial intelligence to biotechnology and beyond."

US NSA appreciated India's role in developing vaccines during the pandemic, and envisioned sending an astronaut in space together.

"Over the last 4 years we've joined hands to help halt the pandemic, to bring vaccines to the world. We've launched initiatives on jet engines, semiconductors, and clean energy, and in a few months' time we'll come together to put an Indian astronaut in space. These are remarkable achievements, and we made them by harnessing the remarkable innovation of the American and Indian people," he said. (ANI)