Tillerson, Mattis call on Modi ahead of meet with Trump

India and the United States on Monday discussed ways to step up counter-terrorism cooperation and reviewed the situation in Afghanistan as two top American officials met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, DC just before his first meeting with President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis separately called on Modi, setting to tone for the summit meeting between the prime minister and Trump.

The issues that figured prominently in these discussions included terrorism, Afghanistan and the situation in the Asia Pacific region.

“There was a strong focus on terrorism and cooperation in counter-terrorism,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay told reporters while briefing on the meeting between Modi and Tillerson.

“It is very clear that given the challenges that the two countries have faced and continue to face and the rest of the world also faces from this global menace of terrorism, the discussions in the courtesy call touched upon how the two sides have cooperated in countering terrorism and the broad direction in which they can develop this cooperation further,” he added.

Modi conveyed to Tillerson that the ‘fulcrum of India’s foreign policy’ is to have good relations with all nations, ‘in particular with its neighbours’.

Discussions between Modi and Mattis focussed on the Asia Pacific region, with a veiled reference to the South China Sea over which China is laying an absolute claim.

Baglay said both India and the US believe in respect for international law, rule-based order and freedom of navigation.

He said there was discussion also on counter-terrorism and on the situation in Afghanistan and the conversation with Mattis briefly touched upon how the two countries can work together on the issue.

Mattis also appreciated India’s role in Afghanistan, Baglay said.

“In the context of the evaluation that is currently underway in the US on policy in context of the situation in Afghanistan, both sides decided that they would remain in touch, consult, cooperate and focus on the security situation in Afghanistan,” the spokesman said.

Modi underlined that he wishes all its neighbours and countries grow just as India is growing and share the prosperity, in line with his mantra ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (cooperation with all, development for all).

Baglay added that both the meetings essentially conveyed the warmth of the relationship and the strong desire of both sides to consolidate multidimensional global strategic partnership between the two countries.

Modi also welcomed and endorsed the view and ‘conveyed India’s desire also to walk side by side with US for consolidating this partnership, which is very valuable and has global implications’.

“That came through very strongly in both these meetings,” he said.

Modi put the India-US partnership in context of the changing global situation and said the world is ‘very keenly’ looking at India and US and their partnership, which has been described as the ‘defining partnership’ of the century, Baglay said.

Tillerson conveyed to Modi that Trump was ‘eagerly looking forward’ to receiving him at the White House and ‘having discussions with him’, Baglay said.

Tillerson also mentioned the desire of both sides to strengthen the India-US partnership in strategic areas as well as on economic cooperation.

Baglay noted that the meetings are in the nature of courtesy meetings and very specific matters were not discussed in great detail.

On the meeting with Mattis, Baglay said the Defence Secretary referred to the op-ed written by Modi in the Wall Street Journal, where he mentioned that there is no need for any hesitation in seizing the moment and opportunity to consolidate, strengthen and expand the partnership and take it on an upward trajectory.