US Defence Secretary skips Pakistan name over terrorism in region despite Indian utmost efforts
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NEW DELHI - US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday said that the administration of President Donald Trump will no longer tolerate terror safe havens anywhere in the world.
There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens, as global leaders, India and US have resolved to work together to eradicate this scourge, Mattis said without naming Pakistan despite the Indian efforts during his talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Calling terrorism a common problem affecting the two countries, Mattis said, ''Our two countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world.''
A joint statement issued after their meeting called on the need for India and the United States to come together to combat the scourge of terrorism.
We appreciate India's leadership in the Indian Ocean region and seek to work together to build a resilient regional architecture, Mattis said.
Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the US Defence Secretary said, ''We value India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote democracy, safety and security in the war-ravaged Asian state.''
I congratulate India for the great work done in Afghanistan, Defence Secretary James Mattis said.
Responding to it, Sitharaman said, ''India will expand development activities to help stabilise the war-torn country, but there shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan."
Speaking to reporters, the Defence Minister said, ''India-US share strong and vibrant strategic partnership as world's largest democracies also share fundamental values and interests.''
Cooperation in defence equipment grew steadily over past years. the US is now a leading state-of-the art defence equipment supplier to India, the Defence Minister said.
