Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday spoke to US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and discussed bilateral and regional matters, including developments in Afghanistan. During the telephonic conversation, the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and looked forward to working closely, the government said.
“The Raksha Mantri and Secretary Austin also exchanged views about combating terrorism in the region. Both sides appreciated the mutual cooperation in the recent evacuation operations in Afghanistan and agreed to remain in regular contact in view of the evolving situation,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Describing the conversation as "warm", Singh later said on Twitter that it was agreed to continue with the "useful dialogue" and to strengthening the India-US partnership further.
"Had a warm telephone conversation with @SecDef Mr Lloyd Austin. We discussed issues pertaining to bilateral defence cooperation & regional matters including situation in Afghanistan," the defence minister said.
"We agreed to continue the useful dialogue & look forward to strengthening the partnership further," he said.
