Dynamism in India US ties

News: Recently, a congressional delegation (CODEL) led by U.S. Senator John Cornyn visited Indo-Pacific Command countries which also included India in its list. It interacted with the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister, and representatives of the Dalai Lama in India.

Both sides are committed to “increasing convergence of strategic interests” between India and the U.S. and to “further enhance cooperation on contemporary global issues such as terrorism, climate change and to promote global peace and stability.”

What was the outcome of the CODEL meet?

– It recognizes the importance of the Indo-Pacific and the increasing China’s threat to these countries and to India.

-It favored India to get a presidential waiver under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act for procuring S400 missiles from Russia.

Significance of CODEL visit for India 

The statements of CODEL cannot be undermined. U.S. Congress plays an important role in determining the foreign policy of the US.

What are the drawbacks in India-US relations?

India had 8 Parliamentary Friendship Groups including Japan, Russia, China, and the European Union, but the USA is absent from that group. There is no institutional communication or interaction between MPs in India and members of the U.S. Congress.

What is the way forward?

In the words of Dr. McDermott (former Congressman) “legislative interactions inject dynamism in bilateral relations”.

Given the robust India-US ties, There is a need for ministers on both sides to engage with each other. This was asserted when The joint statement at the end of the 2+2 dialogue in 2019 called for the establishment of India USA parliamentary exchange to facilitate reciprocal visits.

Source: This post is based on the article ” Dynamism in India US ties” published in The Hindu on 23rd November 2021.