Had very warm, engaging conversation with President Trump: PM Modi

New Delhi [India], December 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "a very warm and engaging conversation" on Thursday with US President Donald Trump, with the two leaders agreeing to work closely to address shared challenges and advance common interests.

During the telephone conversation, the two leaders reviewed the steady progress in India-U.S. bilateral relations and exchanged views on key regional and global developments.

Prime Minister Modi and President Trump reiterated that India and the United States will continue to work closely together to advance global peace, stability, and prosperity.

"Had a very warm and engaging conversation with President Trump. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the U.S. will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," PM Modi said in a post on X.

The two leaders reviewed progress on the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expressed satisfaction with the steady strengthening of bilateral cooperation across all domains.

PM Modi and President Trump underlined the importance of sustaining momentum in shared efforts to enhance bilateral trade.

The leaders also exchanged views on expanding cooperation in critical technologies, energy, defence and security, and other priority areas that are central to the implementation of the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st century.

The leaders also discussed various regional and global developments and agreed to work closely to address shared challenges and advance common interests. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday that negotiations are progressing well for the trade deal between India and the United States.

Interacting with the media in Mumbai, Piyush Goyal noted that a deal is done when both sides stand to benefit and it should not be negotiated with deadlines because there can be mistakes."Negotiations are progressing well.

We've had substantive discussions over several rounds of negotiations. In the past, I think five rounds have happened. The current visit is not a negotiating round. The current visit is a new deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) who has joined about three months ago. It's his first visit to India. We're getting to know each other...We had very good substantive discussions," he said."But I have said on record that a deal is only done when both sides stand to benefit. We should never negotiate with deadlines because you tend to make mistakes then," he added.

Answering a query about reported remarks of United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that the US has received best best-ever trade deal from India, Goyal said, "the happiness of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is very much welcome."I do believe that if they are very happy, they should be signing on the dotted line," he said.

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said last week that the first tranche of Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US could be finalized by the end of this year.

"I think our expectations, we are very optimistic and very hopeful that we should find a solution within this calendar year," he said. The Commerce Secretary cautioned, however, that trade negotiations are unpredictable, noting that "with any trade negotiations, the final deadlines cannot be because even if there is one sticking point or one sticking issue which is in the mind of even one of the partners, the trade deal may not meet that deadline."

India and th US were initially aiming to complete the first tranche of an India-US bilateral trade agreement by the fall of 2025.

Talks were first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington earlier this year.

Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods starting August 1, followed by another 25 per cent increase days later, citing India's continued purchase of Russian oil. The US had imposed reciprocal tariffs on several countries with whom it faces trade deficits.

India had earlier this week welcomed the US National Security Strategy 2025.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly media briefing that the report reflects and underscores the importance that the United States attaches to India as a key partner.

"We have a multifaceted relationship with the United States. Both countries enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership and continue to work to further strengthen these ties," Jaiswal said.

Last week, the White House released the US National Security Strategy 2025, which positioned India as a critical partner, signalling Washington's intent to deepen cooperation with New Delhi across economic, technological and defence sectors.

The strategy document explicitly calls for improved commercial relations with India and encourages New Delhi to "contribute to Indo-Pacific security" through continued cooperation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) alongside Australia, Japan and the United States.

"We must continue to improve commercial (and other) relations with India," the document states, marking a significant diplomatic emphasis on the bilateral relationship.The strategy identifies the Indo-Pacific as "already the source of almost half the world's GDP" and frames the region as amongst "the next century's key economic and geopolitical battlegrounds."

US officials have made clear their intention to work with treaty allies and partners - whose combined economies total USD 65 trillion - to counteract what the document describes as "predatory economic practices" in the region.

India, with its growing economy and strategic position, features prominently in this calculus. The administration has also emphasised technology cooperation, particularly in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and defence technologies, as areas for enhanced partnership, and reaffirms the US commitment to quadrilateral cooperation through the Quad, which has emerged as a key diplomatic and security framework in the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)

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