India’s major defence partner tag deepens ties with US: Carter

TIL Desk/World/Washington-Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has said India’s designation as a ‘major defence partner’ would allow the US to cooperate with it – in both strategic and technological domains – at par with its closet and most long-standing allies. “First of all with respect to the major defence partnership agreement, that is a very substantial change. It’s an enormous change from 50 years of history.

And a very substantial advance over just a few months ago,” Carter told Pentagon reporters at a news conference along with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. “And here’s the gist of it. It will allow the United States and India to cooperate, which speaking from the US point of view, in a way that we do only with our closest and most long-standing allies.

That’s a very big change,” Carter said. In June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited US and met President Barack Obama, the country had designated India as a ‘major defence partner’. In June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited US and met President Barack Obama, the country had designated India as a ‘major defence partner’.