New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) The recent US 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".
Sidhu Moosewala's funeral today: Shot in the head too; 24 marks of gunshot on the body, gangster Lawrence fears encounter
Gangster Lawrence has filed a petition in the NIA court in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. In the petition, he has said that if the Punjab Police asks for my production warrant, then there can be an
Russia-Ukraine War Updates: 24 thousand km of roads and 300 bridges were destroyed in Ukraine in 101 days, loss of about 820 crores
Today 101 days have been completed since the war between Ukraine and Russia. Russia occupies 20% of Ukraine's territory. At the same time, the Russian army has so far destroyed 24 thousand kilometers
IPL Auction Today: Only 61 slots for 292 players, 40-45 cricketers expected to be sold; Maxwell's eyes on 8 teams
The auction for the 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held in Chennai from 3 pm today. For this, 292 players have been shortlisted. However, all 8 teams have only 61 players slots
Ikkis Movie Review: 'Ikkis' raises questions about war, Dharmendra's performance will move you to tears; Agastya is a future superstar.
Some stories leave a profound impact on you. They evoke pride, bring tears to your eyes, and touch your heart. 'Ikkiis' is a film based on one such story. From beginning to end, the film has several
Guru Tegh Bahadur Shaheedi Diwas: 9th Guru of Sikhs sacrificed his life to protect Hindus, and was beheaded
Today is the martyrdom day (death anniversary) of Guru Teg Bahadur. He was the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, who even after 400 years is known as the 'Chadar of Hind'. Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed himself
Be conscious while shopping in online sales! How to avoid buying fake goods in a cheap affair?
Supriya, who lives in Meerut, liked an online sari. Though it was a new website for him, but due to being in the sale, he bought the saree. But when the saree was delivered, it was not as it was seen
12,000 flights canceled due to snow storm in America: power failure in many cities, 8 feet of snow in New York… 34 deaths
The blizzard that came before Christmas in America continues to wreak havoc. This storm, which has made life difficult for more than 20 crore people in the country, is being called Bomb Cyclone. 34
Billionaires List: Gautam Adani slipped to number 25 in the list of the rich, the group's market cap below $ 100 billion
The wealth of Gautam Adani, head of the Adani Group, which is involved in the business from ports to power, has come down to $ 50 billion. According to the data of the Bloomberg Billionaire Index on
'Free education from KG to PG, ₹1000 per month to SC students', Part-2 of BJP's manifesto released
The Bharatiya Janata Party released the second part of its Sankalp Patra on Tuesday given the Delhi Assembly elections. During this, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur said,
India to host 22nd World Congress on fertility
New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) India will host the 22nd world congress on fertility which aims to promote education and research in the field of reproductive medicine and also raise the standards of
