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WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (PTI) — National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan have launched the India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), an important signal that the two countries are ready to break down barriers, experts say, to promote Technological ties and enhanced defense cooperation.
Sullivan and Doval met with their respective high-level delegations at the White House on Tuesday for the first iCET dialogue.
The iCET was led by the national security councils of both countries, announced last May during bilateral talks between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tokyo.
It focuses on strengthening the U.S.-India partnership in technologies that drive global growth, enhance the economic competitiveness of both countries, and protect shared national security interests.
“Indian and U.S. National Security Advisers’ inaugural iCET meeting is a major milestone in the relationship between the two countries, showing that both sides are ready to break down barriers and strengthen technology and defense cooperation,” said Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security Tell PTI.
Curtis, a former CIA officer, served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director of the National Security Council for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021, during which time she played a key role in shaping India-US relations.
“Both sides stand to benefit from emerging technology partnerships: growing friction on the Sino-Indian border and events like June 2020 in the Galwan Valley and December 2022 becoming more frequent,” Curty said. S explained.
“For its part, the U.S. would benefit from enhanced scientific collaboration, harmonized standards and ethical approaches to technology development with an influential democratic force, a vibrant economy, and a hub of emerging technological talent in the Indo-Pacific,” she said. “
Establishing a technical dialogue at the NSA level is important, Curtis said, because it can convene various government agencies and departments to take action within their respective bureaucracies and move cooperation forward.
“The launch of iCET is a pivotal moment in the US-India partnership,” Mukesh Aji, chairman of the US-India Strategy and Partnership Forum (USISPF), told the Press Trust of India.
Completing work on the long-awaited NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth observation satellite is a great example of how the US-India space partnership can benefit the world.
“Climate change is a real threat before us, and NISAR brings both countries closer to addressing that threat,” he said.
“The launch of iCET is like a big bang moment for scientists from both countries. It will open up opportunities for deeper collaboration and more research between the two countries. USISPF is delighted to see the launch come to fruition,” said Aghi.
The American India Business Council praised the Biden administration for working with India to launch iCET.
“By strengthening our technology partnership with India, we will make our economy stronger and ready to shape the next phase of global growth,” it said.
Ronak D. Desai is the principal India practitioner at Paul Hastings LLP and the Lakshmi Mittal and South Asian Institute of the Family at Harvard University The expert, he said, iCET is a powerful reminder of the true multidimensionality of the US-India relationship, as well as the extent to which the bilateral relationship encompasses virtually every area of human cooperation.
“The promise of iCET is enormous and it makes it possible for the United States and India to achieve new and unprecedented levels of convergence in key areas of interest to both countries,” he said.
The symbolism of an iCET conversation is as important as the substance behind it.
The initiative represents another major investment by the United States in its strategic partnership with India. Desai said this underscores the Biden administration’s desire to further expand and enhance relations with India at a particularly critical time internationally.
Desai added that the historic dialogue presents an unprecedented opportunity for key sectors of the US and Indian private sectors to further collaborate and become key stakeholders in US-India relations.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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