US looking for growth in defence ties with India: Pentagon

Washington: Lauding the progress made in bilateral military cooperation with India, the Pentagon has said the US is looking forward to seeing the relationship grow even further.

"The (US Defence) Secretary is very pleased with the progress that we've made with regard to the military-to-military relationship with India, and he's very much enjoyed his ongoing work with Minister Parrikar and looks forward to having that relationship grow even further," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook yesterday said.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter visited India earlier this year during which he described the defence relationship between the two countries as strategic handshake.

"I think the Secretary's reference highlights his own view about how so much of what India is working towards in terms of both its economic policies and its security policies mesh so well with US policies in the same vein. I think that's what the secretary was referring to with that handshake," Cook said in response to a question.

"It's very consistent with our re-balance to the Asia Pacific. I think he was trying to make that point in a very illustrative way," he said.