In his first policy address here on Thursday, the newly appointed US Ambassador to New Delhi, Kenneth Juster, counted benefits India may accrue if markets were further opened up.
The US offered India a "leading role" in the Indo-Pacific region and described the country as a potential trade hub for American businesses, while also emphasising that Washington will not tolerate "cross-border terrorism" or terror safe havens.
In his first policy address here on Thursday, the newly appointed US Ambassador to New Delhi, Kenneth Juster, counted benefits India may accrue if markets were further opened up. This, he said, will also stimulate investment and compliment growing defence and counter-terrorism partnership and moderate policy differences between the two countries.
He talked about a roadmap for a US-India Free Trade Agreement, but said that many intermediate steps were needed to reach the goal. He said that President Trump's poll slogan 'America First' and PM Modi's flagship initiative 'Make in India' are not incompatible.
He said many US companies feeling uncomfortable in China desired to shift their bases to India.
"Opening India's market further to US trade and investment will spur our collaboration on many emerging technologies that will drive and protect our economies, including those related to advanced manufacturing and cyber security," he said.
"We also expect in the very near future for India to join the Australia Group on chemical and biological weapons. And we are working closely with India and our international partners to secure India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group," he said.
Juster insisted that US aid to Pakistan has not been blocked, but only suspended, and underscored that stability in Afghanistan was not possible without Islamabad's positive cooperation.
"I don't think we are going to get stability and security in Afghanistan if Pakistan does not contribute positively to that. The security assistance to Pakistan was suspended because we feel they have not done all that they could to try to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan that are contributing to unrest in Afghanistan," he added.
The Ambassador said the US was keen to see India leading like-minded nations on a regional architecture to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region is increasingly a place of peace, stability, and growing prosperity, rather than one of disorder, conflict, and predatory economic policy.
"We (Us and India) have a strong mutual interest in eliminating this threat to our societies. President Trump and other US leaders have been clear that we will not tolerate cross-border terrorism or terrorist safe havens anywhere," he said.
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