On Trade Relations With India, US Official's 'Roti'-'Puri' Comparison

Washington:

US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt on Monday lauded Indian Navy action against the Houthis and said it shows India’s capacity as a net security provider in the wider region benefits the United States.

Responding to ANI’s question on India-US relations in energy security amid the global crisis, Pyatt said, “We are living through a moment of unprecedented turmoil in the international system. What’s happening to global container shipping as containerized shipping has been rerouted, and what impact has that had on inflation? The Indian Navy intervened to save a tanker ship that was on fire as a result of a Houthi missile strike. It was the Indian Navy that came to the rescue of that ship. It illustrates India’s capacity as a net security provider in the wider region, which benefits the United States.”

On Foreign Trade Agreements between the US and India, Pyatt said, “I think we are not currently involved in any kind of free trade agreement negotiation with India, but we have ongoing and important negotiations about how to facilitate a further deepening of our trade relationship.”

He also said that US-India trade relations cannot be characterised flatly as a ‘Chapati’ but have now become big and puffed up like a ‘Puri’.

On his recent visit to India, Pyatt said, “One of the key frameworks for our cooperation with India in high technology areas is the iCET framework. Our national security advisors have recently decided to add critical minerals and clean energy technology to the ISET as a new pillar. We seek to push the pace of deployment to empower collaboration between our laboratories in areas of innovation.”

Talking about his meeting with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Pyatt mentioned, “Minister Puri and I had a broad discussion about our converging interests in energy security, stability in global energy markets, the destabilizing impact of Russia’s actions, the invasion of Ukraine, but also concerns around the Red Sea, Iran’s activities, Venezuela, and all of the disruptions in global oil markets, in particular, that the United States and India are navigating together. Our shared interest in the stability of those markets, delivering the energy our citizens need and doing so in a way that has the lowest possible carbon footprint.”

US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, Geoffrey R Pyatt, will visit India on January 26 to speak on two panels at the India-US Forum, with a focus on shared energy priorities along with other challenges.

Pyatt was in India from January 26 to 31 and visited New Delhi and Hyderabad. He also spoke on two panels at the India-US Forum, with a focus on shared energy priorities along with other challenges.

In New Delhi, he spoke on two panels at the India-US Forum, “focusing on shared energy priorities and on opportunities and challenges around critical minerals for the global energy transition,” the US Department of State said in a release.

During the meeting, India and the US noted the growing importance of bilateral energy cooperation and underscored the importance of bilateral clean energy engagement.

Both nations welcomed the growing energy trade between the two countries. The two nations underscored the importance of bilateral clean energy engagement and the achievements of the US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) in strengthening energy security, creating opportunities for clean energy innovation, addressing climate change and creating employment generation opportunities.

India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests on a range of issues, and vibrant people-to-people contacts.

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