US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel visits India to pursue military projects
New Delhi: US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit and is expected to discuss regional security situation, defence deals worth over Rs 20,000 crore and joint military hardware development projects with the Indian political and military leadership.
Before leaving for India, Hagel had said the US is looking for new partners and relationships in Asia Pacific region which represents both opportunities and challenges.
During his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the two sides are expected to discuss the regional security situation including the fallout of the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Hagel is also scheduled to hold discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Defence Ministry officials said.
The issue of intelligence sharing and discussions on deals for procuring 22 Apache attack helicopters, 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers along with four P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft is expected to come up for discussion in the meetings.
On the eve of his first visit to India, Hagel had said at a meeting in Germany on Wednesday that he was visiting the largest democratic country of the world to build relationship and not just military-to-military ties.
"In India, I'm going to follow John Kerry's visit and our Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker's visit-they were there about a week ago and attempt to try to continue to build, not just a stronger military-to-military relationship with the Indians," Hagel had said.
He had said both the countries have varied and common interests that include stability, security, economics, possibilities and freedom.
"India represents the largest democracy in the world. They just had an election. They have a new government. The new prime minister is coming to Washington to see President Obama next month. So I'll be there, working, yes, our specific issues, but it's larger than that," Hagel had said.
"When we look at Asia-Pacific, area of operation too represents tremendous new opportunities, but challenges as well. We need partners. We need relationships. That's the kind of world we live in, and that's the kind of world that we're going to be living in," he added.
