Ajit Doval, Jake Sullivan take forward talks on AI, defence, telecom

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 14

As part of the US two-pronged strategy to isolate Russia by seeking to improve ties with both India and China, US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan met Ajit Doval here on Wednesday.

The delegation-level talks covered the roadmap for Indo-US collaboration in seven specific high-technology areas, which was unveiled by the two NSAs on Tuesday. They include semiconductors, next-generation telecommunication, artificial intelligence and defence.

The intensive two days of engagement by Sullivan coincides with a phone call made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The call came ahead of Blinken’s visit to Beijing to “discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the US-China relationship”. “He will also raise bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges,” stated a State Department readout.

While Blinken is attempting to repair ties with China, Sullivan is on a two-day India visit, promising to elevate India-US ties by offering to transfer cutting-edge technology, many of them with dual applications in the military and civilian spheres. Sullivan’s confabulations with Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar come ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, which is less than a week away.

Sullivan has also met Jaishankar to discuss preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US. Following their meeting, Jaishankar tweeted, “Our conversation focused on preparing for the PM’s upcoming US visit. Also discussed global strategic developments from the perspective of our partnership.”

A day ago, Sullivan had called on PM Modi and discussed matters of bilateral cooperation. After the meeting, PM Modi tweeted, “Glad to receive US NSA. Reviewed progress under the India-US Initiative on Critical & Emerging Technologies (iCET) and other issues of bilateral cooperation. Look forward to meeting Joe Biden during my upcoming state visit to the US.”

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