India and the U.S. pledged to streamline their export control regimes for critical technologies at the inaugural India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD), as senior delegations led by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Under Secretary for Commerce Alan Estevez met in Washington on June 6.
The talks came just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington when a number of high-technology partnerships, including a deal that will involve GE-414 jet engine sales to India, are on the cards. U.S. concerns over sharing technology that could reach adversaries like Russia have been highlighted in the past few months.
Meanwhile, in separate comments, senior U.S. officials indicated a softer line on India-Russia ties and said PM Modi’s visit would help build trust and confidence in the U.S.’s “most important bilateral relationship”.
