India-US relationship where it stands today a significant achievement of Biden administration: US NSA Sullivan

Washington: The India-US relationship as it stands today is a significant development of the Biden Administration, the outgoing National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday, acknowledging there were bumps on the road like the alleged assassination plot of an American citizen by an Indian government official.

“I think the US-India relationship and where it stands today is a significant achievement of this administration. The US, Japan, Philippines, trilateral. The overall health and integration of the relationships among our allies and partners in the (Indo-Pacific) region. … and that is what we are passing on to the next team,” Sullivan told reporters during a round table in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

Sullivan, who returned from New Delhi early this week during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and NSA Ajit K Doval, denied any role for the US in a regime change in Bangladesh and hoped the issue of accountability concerning alleged Pannun murder case would continue during the next administration.

“We had to manage the aftermath of the fact that there was this effort to assassinate an American citizen. We have worked through that. We are continuing to work through that, and we've done that in a way that I think shows the maturity and depth of our bilateral relationship, while also standing up for our principles and our values,” Sullivan said in response to a question.

He was asked about the bumps in the road during the last four years of the India-US relationship.

“And then, in any relationship, any friendship, on issues of trade and economics, or what the wording of a G-20 communication be, there's going to be disagreements, and we have to work to compromise and come up with solutions.

“But honestly, I would say that the relationship really went from strength to strength to strength over four years, and the number of things that we were able to do, culminating with this significant step that we announced, for the removal of entities from the restricted list, just goes to show you how far the relationship has travelled, and how it's not just a linear distance it's travelled, it's a step change in the degree of trust and investment, strategic investment in each other that I think is a very good hand for us to be passing off to the next administration,” Sullivan said.

One of the youngest National Security Advisors in the United States, Sullivan, 48, has been a strong supporter of the India-US relationship.

Two years ago, he and Doval were instrumental in launching the path-breaking ICET Dialogue. As an NSA, he made his last trip to India.

Responding to a question on Bangladesh, he refuted the allegations of the deep state being involved in regime change in the country or attempted regime change in India.

“Also politely rejecting the notion that the United States was behind events in Bangladesh, which is preposterous, and I don't believe, based on my conversations with senior Indian officials, that they believed that we were behind it,” Sullivan said.

“I have to say that I think we are finishing out the term on a high note with India, both in the content and tone of our private discussions and in terms of the public commitment on each side to the strength and health of the relationship,” he said in response to another question.

“In terms of the question of the (India) Inquiry Committee (on the Pannun assassination allegation), they (Indians) recently briefed the United States side in terms of the progress that they are making. We are continuing to work with them and will until the 20th January," he said.

“But this will go beyond the 20th (January) to ensure that there is both a full accounting of what happened and accountability for what happened. I won't say more about that publicly, because I think this is best handled in the way that we've handled it so far,” he said.

“Then, concerning whether the next administration will carry forward, what I see as profoundly in the American national interest. That is the closer knitting together at the defence industrial bases of the US and India,” he said.

“I will say my successor (Mike Waltz) is one of the co-chairs of the India caucus. So, I think he certainly sees the strategic value. But I'm not sure what policies they will pursue in the realm of onshoring. That what I would say, and I said this publicly in India, is that there is, in my view, no conflict between Made in America and Made in India,” he said in response to a question.

“I actually think there's huge complementarity there, where we can both actually benefit from more production in our respective countries if we're investing in one another. So I'm going to make that case vigorously to the new team and continue to make it vigorously publicly, but it's an open question as to how they will choose to proceed on that,” Sullivan said.