President Trump, Indian Prime Minister Modi tout defense deal, bilateral cooperation
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands after giving a joint statement in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:20 AM PT — Tuesday, February 25, 2020
President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently discussed bilateral cooperation during a press conference in New Delhi. They touted touted strong relations between the two countries. Both leaders promoted cooperation on defense, energy and trade. They also expressed a strong desire to continue working together on a global scale.
President Trump expressed optimism that he and Modi will be able to hash out a fair bilateral trade deal. The president also touched on a recent defense deal with New Delhi, which will provide India with state of the art U.S. military technology.
Yet another excellent meeting and talks with my friend @realDonaldTrump.
Relations between India and USA are not merely ties between two governments. Ours is a friendship that is people-driven and people centric.
Our nations are cooperating extensively, which is a great sign. pic.twitter.com/VPA8jdhAtI
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 25, 2020
“I know Prime Minister Modi will agree that this has been a very productive visit for both of our countries,” stated President Trump. “Earlier today, we expanded our defense cooperation with agreements for India to purchase more than $3 billion of advanced American military equipment, including Apache and MH-60 Romeo helicopters, the finest in the world.”
The president went on to reaffirm the U.S.’s commitment to combating terrorism in the region alongside India. Additionally, he announced plans to revitalize the ‘Quad Initiative‘ between the U.S., India, Japan and Australia. This initiative is meant to expand cyber security, defense and trade in the Indo-Pacific region.
“In our discussions, Prime Minister Modi and I affirmed our two countries’ commitment to protecting our citizens from radical Islamic terrorism,” said President Trump. “In this effort, the United States is also working productively with Pakistan to confront terrorists who operate on its soil.”
He continued by noting that together, the two leaders are revitalizing the ‘Quad Initiative’ with hopes of upholding universal respect for international law and preserving peace.