US Vice President Kamala Harris, during her first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "suo motu" referred to Pakistan allowing terror groups to operate from its soil and the need for Islamabad to take action so that terrorism does not impact on America and India's security.
The two leaders in their meeting at the White House on Thursday decided to further cement the Indo-US strategic partnership and discussed global issues of common interest, including threats to democracy, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.
Prime Minister Modi has invited Vice-President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to visit India soon.
“When the issue of terrorism came up, the Vice President suo motu referred to Pakistan's role in that regard,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters after the meeting.
“Ms Harris said that there were terror groups that were working in Pakistan and that Islamabad needs to take action so that this does not impact on US security and that of India,” Mr Shringla said.
“She agreed with the Prime Minister's briefing on the fact of cross-border terrorism, and the fact that India has been a victim of terrorism for several decades now and on the need to rein in, and closely monitor Pakistan's support for such terrorist groups,” Mr Shringla said.
The US Vice President said that it is incumbent on the two nations to protect democracies in the best interests of people of the two countries.
"As democracies around the world are under threat, it is imperative that we defend democratic principles and institutions within our respective countries and around the world. And that we maintain what we must do to strengthen democracies at home and it is incumbent on our nations to of course protect democracies in the best interests of people of our countries,” she said.
PM Modi and VP Harris also exchanged views on recent global developments, including in Afghanistan and reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, according to a statement issued by the ministry of external affairs.
The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries, including ongoing efforts to contain the pandemic through expedited vaccination efforts, and ensuring supply of critical medicines, therapeutics and healthcare equipment.
Both sides acknowledged the importance of collaborative action on climate change. The Prime Minister spoke about India's push for increasing renewable energy and the recently launched National Hydrogen Mission. He also emphasized the importance of lifestyle changes to promote environmental sustainability.
They also discussed areas of future collaboration, including space cooperation, Information Technology, especially emerging and critical technologies, as well as cooperation in the healthcare sector. Both leaders acknowledged the vibrant people-to-people linkages as the bedrock of the mutually beneficial education linkages and the flow of knowledge, innovation and talent between our two countries, the official statement added.
