“This is one of the steps that the U.S. is encouraging Pakistan to do for the improvement of its relations with India”, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.
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Relationship between India and U.S. is expected to be on the upswing after a strong foundation laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obamadue to the personal rapport shared by them, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said today.
“We believe that Pakistan and India stand to benefit from practical cooperation and encourage direct dialogue aimed at increasing cooperation and reducing tensions”, Mark Toner told reporters yesterday.
Responding to another question on Modi’s remarks on the Congress being temple of democracy, he said: “We are only one form of democracy; there are many forms in the world”.
Naidu said the turnaround witnessed in the attitude of the US Congress after having denied him visa a decade ago proves that Modi is “one of the tallest leaders on the global stage”.
The United States Department of State has said that India and Pakistan need to pursue closer relations with each other on the security front, while maintaining that Washington too has to maintain the same with both the arch-rivals.
He said that the need of the hour is for India and U.S.to deepen their security cooperation and lauded the U.S Congress for refusing to reward nations and organisations who “preach and practice” terrorism for political gains. “And that’s Pakistan, that’s India, and it’s also Afghanistan”, Toner said.
“In the territory stretching from West of India’s border to Africa, it may go by different names, from Laskhar-e-Taiba, to Taliban to ISIS”.
“Although its shadow is spreading across the world, itis incubated in India’s neighbourhood”, he said an apparent reference to Pakistan.
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Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives Paul Ryan has called India a “great ally”, one with which America should build an alliance and build upon it.
