White HouseBy Lalit K Jha and Manash Pratim BhuyanWashington/Manila, Nov 14 (PTI) President Donald Trumpand Prime Minister Narendra Modi have pledged that the US andIndia should have the world's greatest militaries as theydiscussed bilateral strategic partnership and their sharedcommitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, accordingto the White House.
The two leaders met yesterday on the sidelines of theASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines.
The two leaders discussed the comprehensive strategicpartnership between the United States and India and theirshared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, theWhite House said in a statement.
"They pledged to enhance their cooperation as MajorDefense Partners, resolving that two of the worldÂ’s greatdemocracies should also have the world's greatest militaries,"it said.
President Trump expressed appreciation that Indianpurchases of oil from the United States have surpassed 10million barrels in recent months, and expressed confidencethat stronger energy cooperation will be a geopolitical andeconomic game changer for both countries.
The first consignment of American crude oil reached Indiain October and Indian petroleum companies plan to purchasecrude oil worth USD 2 billion from the US in the next oneyear.
Prime Minister Modi said that he looked forward tohosting the US delegation to the upcoming GlobalEntrepreneurship Summit, showcasing innovation andcollaboration between the two countries.
India and the US will co-host the entrepreneurshipsummit. The American delegation will be led by Trump'sdaughter Ivanka, who is also his senior advisor.
The talks between Trump and Modi came after officials ofIndia, the US, Japan and Australia held their first meeting togive shape to the much talked about quadrilateral alliance tokeep the Indo-Pacific region "free and open".
Giving details of yesterday's deliberations, IndianForeign Secretary S Jaishankar in Manila said Modi and Trumpundertook "a broad review of the strategic landscape in Asia"without further elaboration.
Asked whether the formation of India-Australia-the US-Japan quadrilateral was discussed, Jaishankar had said therewas a passing mention of it, adding that the meeting of theofficials of the four countries was part of diplomacy.
"It was a very expansive discussion," Jaishankar said,adding that Trump also shared his "impression" of his ongoingAsia trip which also took him to Japan and China. PTI LKJ NSAAKJNSA.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.