U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, visited the ISRO headquarters on Friday and held discussion with ISRO Chairman Somanath.
| Photo Credit: Handout E Mail

U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has proposed to develop a “QUAD satellite” involving the partnership of India and the U.S.

During his official trip to Bengaluru on Friday, he visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters and met with Chairman S Somanath and discussed the ongoing cooperation between India and the U.S. in the field of space.

In a statement, the space agency said the U.S. Ambassador proposed the development of a “QUAD satellite”.

During the meeting, the ISRO chairman pointed to the opportunity to develop advanced detectors and packaging technologies with U.S.-India academic institutions.

He also emphasised the importance of building and standardising docking interfaces across human space programs to enable the utilization of space platforms by other countries and joining hands to build a navigation system on the Moon, either in orbit or on the surface.

Taking to ‘X’, Mr. Garcetti on Saturday shared how he was honoured to meet the ISRO Chairman and how they were committed to further strengthening the partnership between India and the United States in the field of space.

“Honored to meet @ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath and team! From advancing #NISAR satellite to fostering human spaceflight and promoting commercial space endeavours, the #USIndiaSpace commitment stands strong and is advancing our shared goals within the #USIndia Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology,” he said.

According to ISRO, the discussions that followed highlighted both countries’ mutual interests and shared goals in advancing space science, technology, and the space economy.

Ongoing associations through various Joint Working Groups, Artemis Accord, NISAR, and the use of the Laser Reflectometer Array on Chandrayaan-3 also figured in the discussions.

Mr. Garcetti also inquired about the role played by the Department of Space in fostering commercial space activities.

Chairman Somanath elaborated on this, saying that for the first time, payload technology and space-bound hardware are being built in Indian facilities that are outside ISRO labs.

ISRO plans to source payloads and satellites for its programmes from Indian companies and enable them to enter the global market.

Other talks included NASA’s participation in India’s proposal for a G-20 satellite for environment and climate change, and encouragement of cooperation between commercial companies from both countries for quicker and more effective outcomes, Gaganyaan cargo module as an option for transfer of cargo to ISS.

The Ambassador expressed his admiration for ISRO’s accomplishments and its role in global space exploration.

The meeting also touched upon future programmes, including the exchange visits of both sides’ professionals, continuation of balloon experiments, and identifying milestone events.

Washington:

 Senior defence officials from India and the US have met here to discuss opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with the American industry, the Pentagon said Friday.

Meeting for the second annual US-India Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue (AD3), the officials discussed a wide range of bilateral cooperation.

The American team was led by Vipin Narang, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy, and the visiting Indian delegation was led by Vishwesh Negi, India’s Joint Secretary for International Cooperation.

During this year’s Dialogue, Mr Narang and Mr Negi discussed opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with US industry, said Department of Defence Spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica Anderson.

Among a group of US and Indian defence officials, the two co-chaired the first US-India principal-level tabletop discussion that explored areas to enhance cooperation in the space domain.

They agreed to advance AD3 through regular working group discussions.

The visiting Indian Government delegation also engaged with the US Space Command, the Joint Commercial Operations Cell, and artificial intelligence experts from across the US Department of Defence, Anderson said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

White House national security communications advisor John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on May 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on May 17 said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India.

“Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference in Washington.

Mr. Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of Parliament from thousands of candidates representing as many as 2,660 registered political parties.

Responding to another question, Mr. Kirby said the India-U.S. relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said.

“You saw it on a State visit [last visit]. We launched all kinds of new initiatives, working on critical emerging technologies together, and bolstering and expanding the relevance of the Indo-Pacific quad, of course, which India is a part of. And then, just the people to people exchanges, and the military that we share with India,” Mr. Kirby said.

“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” said the White House official.

When asked if President Joe Biden believes that India and Japan are xenophobic countries, he replied in the negative and said the President was recently making a broader point.

“I mean, the President was making a broader point here about the vibrancy of our own democracy, here in the United States, and how inclusive and participatory it is,” Mr. Kirby said.

Washington:

Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on Friday said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India.

“Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference here.

Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of parliament from thousands of candidates representing as many as 2,660 registered political parties.

Responding to another question, Kirby said the India-US relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said.

“You saw it on a State visit (last visit). We launched all kinds of new initiatives, working on critical emerging technologies together, and bolstering and expanding the relevance of the Indo-Pacific quad, of course, which India is a part of. And then, just the people to people exchanges, and the military that we share with India,” Kirby said.

“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” said the White House official.

When asked if President Joe Biden believes that India and Japan are xenophobic countries, he replied in the negative and said the president was recently making a broader point.

“I mean, the president was making a broader point here about the vibrancy of our own democracy, here in the United States, and how inclusive and participatory it is,” Kirby said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Shortly after India signed a 10-year contract to operate Iran’s Chabahar port, the US has warned that its sanctions on Tehran remain in place and anyone considering business deals with them needs to be “aware of the potential risk”.

New Delhi yesterday signed the contract to operate Chabahar port to expand trade with Central Asia. The port on the Gulf of Oman will provide Indian goods a gateway to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia using a road and rail project called International North-South Transport Corridor. This route bypasses Pakistan. India had first proposed this plan back in 2003, but US sanctions on Iran over its suspected nuclear programme slowed down the port’s development.

Responding to a question on India’s pact with Iran, deputy spokesperson of US Department of State Vedant Patel told the media, “We’re aware of these reports that Iran and India have signed a deal concerning the Chabahar port. I will let the government of India speak to its own foreign policy goals vis-a-vis the Chabahar port as well as its own bilateral relationship with Iran. I will just say, as it relates to the United States, US sanctions on Iran remain in place and we will continue to enforce them.

He added that “anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions”. When a reporter asked if there’s any exemption for this, Mr Patel responded, “No”.

What Is The Port Plan

A long-term agreement to develop the Chabahar port was signed by Indian Ports Global Limited and the Port and Maritime Organisation of Iran, an official statement has said. IPGL will invest about $120 million and another $250 million will be raised as debt.

The ceremony for the signing of the pact was signed was attended by Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Iran’s Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash in Tehran.

The new pact replaces a 2016 agreement, which covered India’s operations at Shahid Beheshti terminal in Chabahar port and was renewed annually.

This is the first time India takes over the management of an overseas port that is expected to boost exponentially trade among India, Iran and Afghanistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs has allocated Rs 100 crore for the Chabahar Port for 2024-25.

“This 10 years long term lease agreement further strengthens the bilateral ties between the two countries while bolstering confidence and boosting trust of trading communities from the region,” the statement added.

“With the signature of this contract, we have laid the foundations of India’s long-term involvement at Chabahar,” Union Minister Sonowal said on the occasion.

The Chabahar port is being projected as a key hub for the International North-South Transport Corridor project — a 7,200-km-long multimode transport project for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

Discussions on developing Chabahar Port were first held in 2003 during then Iranian President Muhammad Khatami’s visit to India. In 2013, India committed to investing $100 million towards its development. A Memorandum of Understanding to develop the port was signed in May 2015. The contract was executed in 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Iran.

The Kandla port in Gujarat is the closest to Chabahar port at 550 Nautical Miles. The distance between Chabahar and Mumbai is 786 Nautical Miles.

Washington:

The United States will continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India, the Pentagon said on Friday.

“We very much appreciate our relationship with India on a defence level. We continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India and that is something that I think you’ll continue to see us do going forward,” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here.

In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above USD 20 billion.

Responding to a question, Ryder said China remains the “pacing challenge” for the Department of Defense.

“We do appreciate the partnership that we have with India and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region when it comes to preserving individual nations’ sovereignty and abiding by the international rules-based order that has preserved peace and stability for many years,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Terming the India-US ties one of the most defining partnerships, several top Biden administration officials praised External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar’s commitment to this bond, calling him the “architect” of modern US-India relations.

These accolades came during a special reception hosted by India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, in honour of EAM S Jaishankar. 

The event was attended by notable figures from the Biden administration, including US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, President Biden’s domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Dr Rahul Gupta, and Director of the National Science Foundation Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan.

Mr Jaishankar was on a visit to the US from September 22 to September 30 during which he addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. In Washington, Mr Jaishankar met several top US officials including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ambassador Katherine Tai and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Veteran diplomat Richard Verma emphasised the role of hard-working Indian Americans who have built the US-India ties and said, “It’s one of the most consequential relationships of this century. Do we have disagreements? You bet. Will we have bumps in the road? Of course. But two close friends aligned with these shared values, bonded together by the great ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King…this is a partnership with staying power, with real impact, and that will continue to have an outside influence in the world.”

The former envoy also praised Mr Jaishankar as the architect behind the modern US-India relationship and exuded confidence that US-India strategic ties have enhanced under his watch.

“I have also known (Jaishankar) for a long time over many capacities, and who I can also say,  he is the architect of modern US-India relations. We would not be in the strong place that we are today, but for the external affairs minister, your leadership,” Mr Verma said in his public address.

At the “Colors of Friendship” event in Washington DC, Mr Jaishankar addressed members of the Indian community, underscoring the importance of people-to-people connections in building stronger bilateral ties.

Hundreds of community members from across the United States also participated in the event. Giving credit to the Indian Americans, Mr Jaishankar noted the importance of people-to-people connections in building stronger bilateral ties and that the Indian community was a “bridge between the two nations.

Biden’s top advisor, a prominent Indian American in the White House, Neera Tandon said that it’s important that India and the US have a strong person-to-person, community-to-community leader relationship based on the strength of the community and today the Indian Americans are throughout the administration at prominent positions.

“In fact, you can’t throw a stone in the White House and not hit an Indian American these days,” Neera Tandon told the community.

“Our community has honestly matured and recognized that we can participate and contribute in so many ways. And I think it is the strength of that relationship and the strength of the democratic participation that we are part of, that really builds on the US-India relationship. And it is an honour to be here with the foreign minister, Jaishankar, who’s a great leader across so many issues and has recognized for years the important strength of the community,” she said.

Talking about the Indian Ambassador to the US, Mr Sandhu, Neera Tandon said “He’s one of the strongest ambassadors India has ever had. He is a real and fierce advocate for the US-India relationship and more importantly, an advocate for the US-India partnership.”

Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti, Mr Jaishankar also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in the US. He and other guests made several remarks about the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

Referring to the message of Satyagraha, Dr Rahul Gupta said, “Today we’re honouring the upcoming 104th birthday anniversary of what’s also known as the International Day of Non-violence of Gandhiji. What becomes important to me, as think about it, is to think about where in the United States, we have had few leaders who have embodied the work of Mahatma Gandhi. But I think there’s a lot more that people from the Indian community can do to spread the word. So it becomes important once again to reflect upon the core values of Mahatma Gandhi, truth, Satyagraha.”

US lawmakers Shri Thanedar and Rick McCormick, Democrat and Republican, were present at the event.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The “health of democracy” is an important issue for the India-U.S. relationship, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that U.S. President Joe Biden raised these issues in every meeting he has held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media after the bilateral meeting on Friday night (September 8) between PM Modi and President Biden, the officials made a reference to the Karnataka State elections, calling Mr. Modi’s public congratulations to the Congress party for its victory in the State, which the ruling BJP lost in May, a “positive indicator” for democracy. 

They said India is “disappointed” that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 summit, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that there was “clear appreciation” that U.S. President Joe Biden travelled to India for it.

On chances for a joint declaration being forged at the end of the G20 summit, the officials said there had been some forward movement, particularly on climate issues in the draft communique, but that the U.S. would remain “purposeful determined and resolute” on the language over Ukraine. As The Hindu had reported on September 8, officials and diplomats said the language on all non-geopolitical issues had been cleared, but Ukraine remains a sticking point with the U.S. and allies ranged on one side and Russia and China on the other. 

“There was a clear appreciation on the part of India that President Biden is here, and that he made the trip,” said Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, adding that “I think it is a disappointment for India that both Russia and China (Presidents) are not here”. 

Highlighting the India-U.S.-Saudi Arabia-India infrastructure corridor which now includes the European Union, that is expected to be announced, Mr. Campbell said that talks are still ongoing with all the parties present in Delhi, and this would be a “major breakthrough that would help fundamental delays with respect to infrastructure and communications, from India with the Middle East (West Asia) and then on to Europe. 

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | PM Modi in US | A major leap forward for India-US ties?

The officials also faced several questions from the U.S. White House Press Corps members on the lack of access for journalists in the press pool to the bilateral meeting and the main G20 venue. Mr. Campbell said that this had been raised with India, and stressed that despite India’s objections, the U.S. had held a press interaction with PM Modi and President Biden during the state visit in Washington in June. 

“I do want to just underscore for you that in every meeting that I’ve been in, the President is very clear about the importance of the health of democracy. He doesn’t do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges, and we think it’s important that we’re constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy.” When pressed on whether U.S. concerns over India have led to any “change” in the Modi government, Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, the NSC Senior Director for South Asia, pointing to recent Karnataka elections, said that Mr. Modi had congratulated the Congress party on the results, although she said the U.S. would not like to ascribe this to its influence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, Delhi, on September 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood

The “health of democracy” is an important issue for the India-U.S. relationship, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that U.S. President Joe Biden raised these issues in every meeting he has held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefing the media after the bilateral meeting on Friday night (September 8) between PM Modi and President Biden, the officials made a reference to the Karnataka State elections, calling Mr. Modi’s public congratulations to the Congress party for its victory in the State, which the ruling BJP lost in May, a “positive indicator” for democracy. 

They said India is “disappointed” that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 summit, said senior U.S. White House officials, adding that there was “clear appreciation” that U.S. President Joe Biden travelled to India for it.

G-20 Summit 2023 in New Delhi Live Updates | September 9

On chances for a joint declaration being forged at the end of the G20 summit, the officials said there had been some forward movement, particularly on climate issues in the draft communique, but that the U.S. would remain “purposeful determined and resolute” on the language over Ukraine. As The Hindu had reported on September 8, officials and diplomats said the language on all non-geopolitical issues had been cleared, but Ukraine remains a sticking point with the U.S. and allies ranged on one side and Russia and China on the other. 

“There was a clear appreciation on the part of India that President Biden is here, and that he made the trip,” said Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, adding that “I think it is a disappointment for India that both Russia and China (Presidents) are not here”. 

Highlighting the India-U.S.-Saudi Arabia-India infrastructure corridor which now includes the European Union, that is expected to be announced, Mr. Campbell said that talks are still ongoing with all the parties present in Delhi, and this would be a “major breakthrough that would help fundamental delays with respect to infrastructure and communications, from India with the Middle East (West Asia) and then on to Europe. 

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | PM Modi in US | A major leap forward for India-US ties?

The officials also faced several questions from the U.S. White House Press Corps members on the lack of access for journalists in the press pool to the bilateral meeting and the main G20 venue. Mr. Campbell said that this had been raised with India, and stressed that despite India’s objections, the U.S. had held a press interaction with PM Modi and President Biden during the state visit in Washington in June. 

“I do want to just underscore for you that in every meeting that I’ve been in, the President is very clear about the importance of the health of democracy. He doesn’t do this in such a way that suggests that one country is lecturing to another but rather that we all face shared challenges, and we think it’s important that we’re constantly asking the hard questions about our democracy.” When pressed on whether U.S. concerns over India have led to any “change” in the Modi government, Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, the NSC Senior Director for South Asia, pointing to recent Karnataka elections, said that Mr. Modi had congratulated the Congress party on the results, although she said the U.S. would not like to ascribe this to its influence.