Sullivan dials Indian NSA Doval, reaffirms commitment for strong, enduring relations

America’s new National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in his first call with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Wednesday reaffirmed the commitment of President Joe Biden to a strong and enduring bilateral strategic partnership based on a shared commitment to democracy, the White House said.

“Sullivan reaffirmed President Biden’s commitment to a strong and enduring US-India strategic partnership based on our shared commitment to democracy,” said the National Security Council of the White House in a statement.

This was the first call between the two national security advisers. “They discussed the importance of continuing close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, promoting regional security, and renewing efforts to collaborate on global challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change,” said the statement.

Sullivan, a close confidant of Biden, has so far spoken with his counterparts from eight countries. They are Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Adviser to the French President; Jan Hecker, Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor; Dominic Raab, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs; Shigeru Kitamura, Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat. He has also spoken with National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib of Afghanistan; National Security Adviser Suh Hoon of the Republic of Korea and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat of Israel.