After over a month-long exercise of elections and subsequent formation of new government, the much-awaited India-US bilateral engagement concerning Critical and Emerging Technologies is scheduled to begin in New Delhi on Monday.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will interact with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in the second meeting of initiative of Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) on June 17-18, official sources said.
The main meeting between the two leaders will be held tomorrow with the focus on reviewing all the projects considered at the Washington meeting, held on January 31, 2023 including transfer of technology of GE-414 jet engines for Tejas Mark II fighters.
A team from the US is already in India to negotiate the sale of 31 MQ 9B armed Predator drones to India, just as a French team is in India to negotiate the 26 Rafale-Maritime fighter deal for INS Vikrant, they said.
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Days after his meeting with the US officials, Doval is slated to be in Paris on June 20-21 for a meeting with his counterpart Emmanuel Bonne and military counterpart to deepen military ties.
Doval and Sullivan will discuss the draft of a new bilateral Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to accelerate technological cooperation between the two countries for the joint development and production of jet engines, loitering ammunition and other systems.
The other issue under review is building of a resilient semiconductor supply chain in India through joint ventures. Other issues under discussion will be space cooperation, quantum computing and next generation telecommunications.
As Modi landed in Apulia for the G-7 outreach on June 13, the wester media was questioning NSA Sullivan on whether President Biden was avoiding PM Modi due to the Pannun issue as if the entire bilateral relationship was hanging on the proscribed terrorist of SFJ.
Meanwhile, a US team is in India to negotiate the sale of 31 MQ 9B armed Predator drones to India. Moreover, a French team is also visiting India to negotiate the 26 Rafale-Maritime fighter deal for INS Vikrant.
Doval’s two-day visit to France on June 20-21 would help deepen military ties between the two countries.
