US has 'significant' defence partnership with India, 'terrific cooperation' inside Quad: White House

The US has a ”significant” defence partnership with India and ”terrific cooperation” inside the Quad, the White House has said.

The remarks by John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White House, to reporters at Monday’s daily news conference come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US next week.

”We are very much looking forward to have Prime Minister Modi here,” he said.

”As you know, the United States has a significant defence partnership with India and terrific cooperation inside the Quad, across the Indo-Pacific with India… We are looking forward to the visit,” Kirby said in response to a question.

The Quad comprises Japan, India, Australia, and the US.

The four countries in 2017 gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quadrilateral coalition or ”Quad” to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific.

Modi has been invited by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for an official State Visit, which will include a State Dinner on June 22.