US-India relations growing akin to Washingtons ties with Tokyo

A senior defence official of the US has said that strategic ties with New Delhi are progressing to become much like our relationships with Japan or Australia.

Washington, Oct 8 : A senior defence official of the US has said that strategic ties with New Delhi are progressing "to become much like our relationships with Japan or Australia".

Brigadier General, John A Toolan, of the US Marine Corps, who is also the Principal Director for South and South-east Asia at the Department of Defence, said that according to him ties between Washington and New Delhi could not be termed an alliance, but "it is more along the lines of a security partnership that allows India to maintain its non-alignment and its independence which they cherish clearly."

"However, our relationship with India is unique and we really can't put it into any finite definition," he added.

Stating that India is the base of stability in South Asia, the Brigadier General said," The US does not want to get involved in any muddling in India's region," adding," We want to work together."

ANI