New Delhi:
A day after he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta met Defence Minister AK Antony today as part of his two-day visit to India.
Secretary Panetta's two-day stop at New Delhi is part of his nine-day tour of Asia, his second to the region and the first since the Pentagon released the new military strategy in which Asia assumes a bigger importance for the US. In today's meeting, the two leaders discussed the entire gamut of India and US' strategic and military relationship and the situation in the Af-Pak region.
"A wide range of issues relating to the neighbourhood and the region were discussed in detail. The ongoing defence cooperation and India's purchases of military hardware from the US also came up for discussion," said an official of the 45-minute meeting at South Block.
China's growing defence spending also figured in the discussions between the two countries, which have been increasing their military cooperation in the recent past.
Mr Panetta is also scheduled to give a speech at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, an Indian think tank.
Significantly, the Pentagon on Tuesday, coinciding with Mr Panetta's visit, said that India is a global power and is meeting its responsibilities in this capacity. (Read)
Responding to questions at a Pentagon news conference, spokesman Navy Capt John Kirby said Mr Panetta, during his ongoing India visit, had expressed his gratitude for what India has done in Afghanistan and hoped that they will continue to stay engaged in the region, and in particular in helping Afghanistan as it moves forward.
"He's in India to thank them for their efforts at regional leadership and to look for ways to deepen our defence cooperation with India and our relationship with India. That is something he would like to do more of. But we're very appreciative of India's efforts in the region and in Afghanistan in particular," Mr Kirby said
Secretary Panetta's two-day stop at New Delhi is part of his nine-day tour of Asia, his second to the region and the first since the Pentagon released the new military strategy in which Asia assumes a bigger importance for the US. In today's meeting, the two leaders discussed the entire gamut of India and US' strategic and military relationship and the situation in the Af-Pak region.
"A wide range of issues relating to the neighbourhood and the region were discussed in detail. The ongoing defence cooperation and India's purchases of military hardware from the US also came up for discussion," said an official of the 45-minute meeting at South Block.
China's growing defence spending also figured in the discussions between the two countries, which have been increasing their military cooperation in the recent past.
Mr Panetta is also scheduled to give a speech at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, an Indian think tank.
Significantly, the Pentagon on Tuesday, coinciding with Mr Panetta's visit, said that India is a global power and is meeting its responsibilities in this capacity. (Read)
Responding to questions at a Pentagon news conference, spokesman Navy Capt John Kirby said Mr Panetta, during his ongoing India visit, had expressed his gratitude for what India has done in Afghanistan and hoped that they will continue to stay engaged in the region, and in particular in helping Afghanistan as it moves forward.
"He's in India to thank them for their efforts at regional leadership and to look for ways to deepen our defence cooperation with India and our relationship with India. That is something he would like to do more of. But we're very appreciative of India's efforts in the region and in Afghanistan in particular," Mr Kirby said
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