Hyderabad: The United States will support a constructive dialogue and meaningful conversation between India and Pakistan, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday. The US is ready to play its role if they agree, he added.
Price refused any meditating role for the US for talks between India and Pakistan. "Because these are decisions for the countries themselves. If they agree on a particular role for the United States, the United States is prepared to, as a partner to both countries, support that process in any way that we responsibly can," the Spokesperson said.
He was responding to: "Analysts believe that the United States has the power and authority to mediate between the two partners. Pakistan and India are partners of yours, so why don't you just mediate?. "Ultimately, it is not for the United States to determine the modalities or the way in which India and Pakistan engage one another. What we support is constructive dialogue, meaningful diplomacy between India and Pakistan, in the first instance to resolve longstanding conflicts," he said.
The United States supports constructive dialogue. We support diplomacy between India and Pakistan to resolve, again, another set of longstanding disputes. We are a partner. We are willing to support that process in any way that they deem appropriate. But ultimately, these are decisions that India and Pakistan themselves are going to have to make, Price said.
India a global strategic partner of US- "Our message to India and about India is consistent. India is a global strategic partner of the United States. The engagements we've had with our Indian partners at the ministerial level, at the leader level, at all levels has been in furtherance of deepening the already extensive ties between our two countries," Price said.
"These are ties that are political in nature, diplomatic, economic, security and importantly, people-to-people ties," he said. There is a vibrant Indian diaspora in this country, he said, adding that there is quite a bit of interest on the part of the American private sector in India, exchange students.
"There are various ways in which our two societies are intertwined. So every time we have an opportunity to meet with our Indian counterparts, it is an effort to deepen what is that already quite extensive global strategic partnership," Price said. (with PTI inputs)
