Reciprocal visits between India-US officials increasing at an 'unprecedented' pace: Trump administration

Washington: Defence and co-operation between India and the US is expanding rapidly, the Trump administration said on Tuesday, asserting that exchanges and reciprocal visits of officials was increasing at an "unprecedented" pace between the two nations.

"The United States, India defends the security, cooperation is rapidly expanding as part of our deepening strategic partnership and India is one of the secure--premier security partners in the Indo Pacific region," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at his biweekly news conference.

He said as part of that "effort exchanges, reciprocal visits between American and Indian defence officials, they are increasing at an unprecedented pace." 

"We (the United States), seek to expand our defence and security cooperation with India and that includes defence and security officials and I will stop there," Palladino said, responding to a question as to why visas of at least two Indian defence officials were recently been denied for attending an official meeting in the US. The officials were part of an Indian delegation for defence and security-related meetings in the US. 

Meanwhile, Palladino also answered questions on Pakistan saying that it needs to "deliver outcomes" to build confidence and trust between it and the US adding that nuclear proliferation was one of its top security concerns.

"Pakistan itself, the secretary (of State Mike Pompeo) has emphasised the need (for Pakistan) to deliver outcomes and to build confidence and trust between our two nations and we do want to see a prosperous Pakistan that contributes positively towards regional stability and security," Palladino said.

Palladino was answering a question on the recent remarks by Pompeo in which he identified Pakistan's nuclear proliferation as the third top national security concerns for the US. "Nuclear proliferation is one of the very first national security concerns articulated in our national security strategy. It's at the very top of the list," he said.