Sullivan is at the forefront of the firefighting, with the US being the key player in the volatile region. US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell, who was to accompany Sullivan, has also postponed his India trip.
“Due to ongoing events in the Middle East, NSA Sullivan has postponed his trip to India this week. NSA Sullivan looks forward to holding the iCET (Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology) annual review at the next earliest possible date and remains personally committed to advancing our deeply consequential and multifaceted partnership with India. Similarly, the President looks forward to the next meeting of the Quad leaders and co,” said a spokesperson of the US Embassy in New Delhi. “Continuing our efforts with India to deliver results for the American and Indian people, as well as our partners, in support of our shared vision for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
If stability returns to West Asia, Sullivan’s visit to India over the next two months cannot be ruled out, indicated people in the know.
Earlier, Sullivan had to cancel his India trip in February due to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. He was scheduled to visit India for the iCET review and work on expanding partnership in the Indo-Pacific region as part of wider US strategy.
A senior White House official had said at a press conference in Washington, DC last week that Sullivan was planning to speak to the Indian leadership about the next steps in technology cooperation. The official had said the US sees the engagement with India as central to everything that it is seeking to do on the global stage. “In many respects, it will be our most important bilateral partnership heading into the latter parts of the 21st century,” the official had said.The engagement is significant in the backdrop of the widening US-Japan security partnership, US-Japan-Philippines trilateral and US-Japan-South Korea trilateral aimed at limiting China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
