NSA Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan turn to Indo-Pacific stability as US sanctions Indian firms over Russia ties

Shortly after the Indian Army confirmed that the disengagement between Indian and Chinese forces had been completed at two key points of friction along their shared border, United States (US) National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan and India’s NSA Ajit Doval engaged in a telephone conversation.

They “discussed regional security developments and emphasized the need for further efforts to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.”

The call came against the backdrop of recent US sanctions against 19 Indian companies for allegedly aiding Russia’s efforts in Ukraine.

This conversation also marked the first public interaction between the two NSAs following recent developments in a US investigation into a failed assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist and Canada’s accusations implicating the Indian government, including Home Secretary Amit Shah, in actions against a other separatist in Canadian. land.

On Thursday, the US State Department expressed concern over Canada’s allegations involving Shah. “The allegations made by the Government of Canada are troubling and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about these allegations,” Foreign Office spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. quoted by PTI

About two weeks earlier, a US court named a former Indian intelligence officer as an alleged co-conspirator in the failed plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Sikh separatist.

While an Indian investigative team recently visited the US to coordinate with US authorities on the Pannun case, India has rejected Canada’s claims, terming them as “completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations.”

The Doval-Sullivan conversation was made public in an October 30 White House statement released just days before the upcoming November 5 US election.

The statement confirmed that “U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone today with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.” It added that the two leaders “discussed regional security developments and emphasized the need for further efforts to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.”

“They welcomed progress in the bilateral partnership, including through the upcoming Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) Intersessional and Indian Ocean Dialogue. They also discussed further opportunities for closer cooperation in key domains, including clean energy supply chains and defense cooperation,” it said further.

Notably, Doval did not accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in September, and sources attributed this to domestic commitments, including upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Incidentally, the Indian NSA was among those summoned days earlier by the US court hearing the case filed by Pannun demanding compensation for the alleged assassination plot.

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