US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in New Delhi, to hold talks with Rajnat Singh during visit

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to hold bilateral talks and strengthen defence partnerships between the two nations.

He was received by US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti. Before this, Austin was in Singapore.

Taking to Twitter, the US Defence Secretary wrote, “I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership.”

“Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he added.

I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership.

Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/P73Oy2npDx

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) June 4, 2023

The visit precedes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the White House next month.

The Pentagon said that Austin will visit New Delhi to meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders as the United States and India continue to modernise the US-India Major Defence Partnership.

“This visit provides an opportunity to accelerate new defense innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and drive ongoing efforts to expand operational cooperation between the US and Indian militaries,” the Pentagon said.

Austin attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and his first stop was in Tokyo where he met with Japanese Defence Minister Yasukasu Hamada and other senior leaders and visited US troops stationed in Japan.

Later, from Japan, he flew to Singapore, where he addressed plenary remarks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

With inputs from agencies

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