New Delhi, Feb 5
The recent US recent proposal
to give $1 billion aid to Pakistan is in "collective interest for the
region" and Washington's relations with India "stand on their own", US
envoy to India Richard Verma said here Thursday.
Verma, who took
over as envoy ahead of US President Barack Obama's three-day India visit
last month, said ties between the US and India are not directed at any
third country and that Washington views a "robust dialogue" between
India and China as "in the interest of the region".
To a question
on Obama's proposed over $1 billion in civilian and military aid to
"strategically important" Pakistan for fighting terror and economic
development, Verma said that the US aid was to see "a secure, democratic
and stable Pakistan, the policy is designed for that and for the
regions interest".
"It is in the collective interest for the
region that the people of Pakistan continue to support democracy and
stability in Pakistan," he said.
On the US' ties with Pakistan
and with India, he said the US can "have a robust relationship with
India and also with Pakistan; and we should recognise that the relations
are also very different".
He said the fact that Obama was in
India for a second time and both sides achieved a breakthrough in their
civil nuclear talks were an embodiment of the fact that US-India
relations "stand on their own" and its policies with regard to Pakistan
"stand on their own".
He added that the US was "watching very closely" the developments in Pakistan.
Verma
said that Obama has reiterated that the US has very important relations
with China marked by "elements of cooperation and competition" and
where they have any concerns regarding human rights and security with
Beijing they address them.
To a question on the US drawing a
distinction between Afghanistan's Taliban and the Islamic State, and
describing the Taliban as "armed insurgency", Verma said India and the
US are "unified in their approach in standing up for free people and
against terrorists, and the commitment is unwavering".
He said
the US-India cooperation in the sphere of defence and homeland security
shows their "commitment to stand up for free people and against
dangerous groups".
He also termed as "very significant" the
US-India defence cooperation agreement, and said both sides would focus
on this area over the next few months.
Earlier, in his remarks at
the Vivekananda International Foundation on 'US-India Relations: The
Way Forward', Verma said he is committed to working on taking forward
Obama's vision of the US as India's "best partner".
He said the
camaraderie and dialogue between Obama and Modi "was the recognition on
both sides of an increasing convergence of interests between the two
sides in the fields of trade, security cooperation, civil nuclear
collaboration, clean energy, climate change and "respect for religious
diversity".
Verma said he will personally lead multiple working groups "towards implementation of the projects".
Verma said he had an "excellent meeting" with Modi in the morning and would be meeting Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.
"Bottom line is both our governments are full steam ahead toward achieving the objectives" of Obama and Modi.
Verma said the US welcomes India's interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation
(APEC) forum and also to working with India "to strengthen the East
Asia Summit to promote regional dialogue on key political and security
issues".
