USAID Dy Assistant Administrator for Asia Anjali Kaur to start visit from today

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) of the Bureau for Asia Anjali Kaur will be on a visit to India from November 20-26 to advance the US-India development partnership.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) of the Bureau for Asia Anjali Kaur will be on a visit to India from November 20-26 to advance the US-India development partnership, the US Embassy in India said in a press release. Anjali Kaur will also meet government officials and development partners. She will also visit USAID-supported sites in Dharamshala and New Delhi. During her visit to Dharamshala, Kaur will engage with Tibetan leaders, youth and communities.

"While in Dharamshala, DAA Kaur will engage with Tibetan leaders and youth, as well as communities and institutions which are sustaining their unique identity and culture," the US Embassy in India said in a press release. During her visit to Delhi, Anjali Kaur will engage with government officials, partners, and staff on critical development issues including climate change, trilateral cooperation, women's economic empowerment and gender equity, and digital development.

Earlier this month, India and the US held a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. According to the joint statement of the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the two nations have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the multifaceted defence partnership between the two nations. The pledge includes a comprehensive approach, encompassing extensive dialogues, increasingly complex military exercises, and the acceleration of joint projects initiated under the June 2023 Roadmap for India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation.

"They expressed satisfaction with the pace of cooperation in maritime domain awareness and looked forward to identifying pathways to promote stronger service-to-service ties and share technologies to address an array of maritime challenges, including in the undersea domain," the statement also said. The two sides reaffirmed the Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation as a catalyst for strengthening India's capabilities, enhancing its indigenous defence production, facilitating technology sharing, and promoting supply chain resilience.

The Ministers appreciated the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India, it added. Both India and the US recommitted to spurring investment in India's growing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector, which encompasses aircraft maintenance and mid-voyage repair of US naval vessels. They welcomed commitments from the US industry to further increase India's MRO capabilities, including for the repair of aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, the statement also said.

The ministers also pledged to implement commitments made by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden to undertake regular efforts to address export control issues while expanding defence-industrial cooperation and supporting India's goals of emerging as a global defence hub. Both sides look forward to further discussions about export control and technology transfers in the Strategic Trade Dialogue and its affiliated working groups. The Ministers commended the breadth of partnerships under the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) since the initiative was launched in June 2023.

The ministers specifically welcomed the Investors Strategy Session convened in New Delhi on November 8, 2023. The leaders further welcomed the launch of the INDUS-X Gurukul Education series to enable startups to leverage opportunities in the defence ecosystems of India and the United States. They also took note of the recent launch of the INDUS-X joint challenges initiative, which will unleash the talent and innovative drive of commercial sectors in both countries to strengthen the respective defence industry ecosystems.

The ministers lauded continuing advances in interoperability, noting that India and the United States are setting up new liaison positions to facilitate seamless communication and cooperation between their armed forces. They welcomed India's full membership in the multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), headquartered in Bahrain. The ministers also welcomed further discussions to maximise the shared benefits of the Logistics and Exchange Memorandum Agreement (LEMOA) and identify reciprocal steps both countries can take to enhance the reach of their respective militaries. (ANI)

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