India and the US agreed to “cooperate closely” in the global fight against terrorism when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to her American counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on Wednesday. “The External Affairs Minister and Secretary Tillerson resolved to work together closely to further expand and deepen the multi-faceted strategic partnership between India and the US,’’ an External Affairs Ministry statement said. “They emphasised that close and strong relations between India and the US were not only in mutual interest but also had regional and global significance.’’ Watch What Else Is making News The statement added that they agreed to intensify cooperation in various sectors, including defence and security, energy, and economy. “They also agreed to follow-up the firm resolve expressed by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and President (Donald) Trump to cooperate closely in the global fight against terrorism.” Tillerson has earlier had telephone conversations with foreign ministers of Australia, Japan and South Korea. The telephone conversation came weeks after Trump spoke to Modi. Sources had told The Indian Express that the PM conveyed India’s concerns over proposed changes to the H1B visa programme to the President. Modi had raised the issue of cross-border terrorism as a challenge confronting India’s growth and peace and security in the region. Trump had raised the issue of South China Sea, and America’s interest in ensuring freedom of navigation in international waters claimed by the Chinese as its own. So far, India has not issued a readout of the conversation, while the White House version did not mention these specific issues. The White House had said that Trump emphasised that the US considers India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world.
