India, US discuss situation in Indo-Pacific

India and the US on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, with the objective of ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The situation in the Indo-Pacific came up for discussion during talks between Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and visiting US Under Secretary of State for Political Victoria Nuland.

In the talks, held under the framework of annual India-US Foreign Office Consultations, the two sides covered contemporary regional developments in South Asia, Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

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"The two sides reiterated their commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, with the objective of ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region," it said in a statement.

The MEA said both sides reviewed progress made towards further consolidating the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

It said Kwatra and Nuland took stock of a number of initiatives and frameworks that reflect common strategic interests, including Quad, I2U2, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA).

While the Quad comprises India, the US, Australia and Japan, the members of the I2U2 are India, Israel, the US and the United Arab Emirates.

US President Joe Biden in May last year launched the IPEF, which is an initiative aimed at deeper cooperation among like-minded countries in areas like clean energy, supply-chain resilience and digital trade.

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In May last year, the Quad leaders launched the IPMDA which is primarily aimed at monitoring regional waters against the backdrop of China's increasing muscle-flexing in the region.

"Both sides agreed to work together during India's ongoing G20 Presidency. They also agreed to intensify cooperation in multilateral fora and international organisations, including the UN, on global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said.

"The productive and substantive meeting enabled both sides to continue a regular dialogue that has been instrumental in enhancing mutual understanding and in identification of opportunities for further growth and enrichment of the India-US partnership," it added.