Jake Sullivan. (Photo: White House)
New Delhi: The United States’ national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, has postponed his visit to India for the second time this year. The decision comes in the wake of escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Iran and Israel.
Sullivan was scheduled to be in New Delhi on Thursday for a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval. The key agenda for the meeting was to review the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology or iCET. However, the recent hostilities in the Middle East have necessitated Sullivan’s presence in the US, American officials said.
The postponement marks the second time this year that Sullivan has had to defer his visit to India. He was due to visit India in February, but due to “pressing commitments, the US NSA deferred the trip. The current crisis in the Middle East, following Iran’s direct strike against Israel, has led to speculation about a retaliatory Israeli action despite calls for restraint by its key allies.
Despite the postponement, the US embassy in New Delhi has affirmed Sullivan’s commitment to advancing the multifaceted partnership with India. In a statement, the embassy said: “NSA Sullivan looks forward to holding the iCET annual review at the next earliest possible date and remains personally committed to advancing our deeply consequential and multifaceted partnership with India.”
The iCET, launched in January 2023, is engaged in groundbreaking work in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, telecommunications, and joint development of military hardware. All these efforts are aimed at addressing the overall challenge posed by China in the Indo-Pacific Region.
While Sullivan’s visit has been postponed, the US deputy secretary of state, Kurt Campbell, is expected to proceed with his visit to India from Tuesday. Campbell is expected to meet with the Indian foreign secretary, Vinay Kwatra, and other officials for discussions focused on the Indo-Pacific.
