New US NSA reaffirms commitment to strong ties in 1st call to Ajit Doval

Washington: America’s new National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in his first call with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Wednesday reaffirmed the commitment of President Joe Biden to a strong and enduring bilateral strategic partnership based on shared commitment to democracy, the White House said.

“Sullivan reaffirmed President Biden’s commitment to a strong and enduring US-India strategic partnership based on our shared commitment to democracy,” said the National Security Council of the White House in a statement. This was the first call between the two national security advisers.

“They discussed the importance of continuing close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, promoting regional security, and renewing efforts to collaborate on global challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change,” said the statement.

Sullivan, a close confidant of Biden, has so far spoken with his counterparts from eight countries.

They are Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Adviser to the French President; Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor; Dominic Raab, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs; Shigeru Kitamura, Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat.

He has also spoken with National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib of Afghanistan; National Security Adviser Suh Hoon of the Republic of Korea and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat of Israel.