Amid the tumultuous developments in the Middle East, US National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan has postponed his official visit to India. He was scheduled to travel to New Delhi starting tomorrow (April 17) and was supposed to attend a range of bilateral events, including co-chairing an annual review meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval for the initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET) that was earlier postponed in February.
Speaking of the development, the US Embassy Spokesperson said the decision over postponement of the NSA's visit was made in view of the evolving situation in the Middle East, further exacerbated due to increased hostilities between Israel and Iran.
“Due to ongoing events in the Middle East, NSA Sullivan has postponed his trip to India this week,” the US Spokesperson said.
"NSA Sullivan looks forward to holding the iCET annual review at the earliest possible date and remains personally committed to advancing our deeply consequential and multifaceted partnership with India," he added.
It is pertinent to note that this is the second time that the top Biden aide has postponed his official visit to India. Earlier, in February, he was supposed to travel to New Delhi for the annual meeting of iCET. However, citing the global crisis in Ukraine and West Asia, the US NSA's visit got rescheduled.
Significantly, the iCET was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Biden to facilitate outcome-oriented cooperation in new and emerging technologies.
Further, the US Embassy Spokesperson, in a statement released on Tuesday, also talked about the plans over the Quad Summit.
The spokesperson said US President Joe Biden, too, looks forward to the next meeting of Quad leaders.
“Similarly, the President looks forward to the next meeting of the Quad leaders and continuing our efforts with India to deliver results for the American and Indian people, as well as our partners, in support of our shared vision for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.
The Quad Leaders’ Summit was planned in India in January this year but was postponed as the dates did not work for certain Quad partners.
India is an important strategic partner for the US
Meanwhile, in other news, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, in a presser, hailed strong India-US ties. He said, "India is the world's largest democracy; it is an important strategic partner of the United States, and I expect that to remain true."
READ MORE | Top Biden official meets Jaishankar, Doval in Delhi, rakes up 'foiled' murder plot of Pannun
READ MORE | US NSA Jake Sullivan to visit India next week; Indo-Pacific, tech cooperation on agenda
