U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday assured his Indian counterpart A. K. Antony that Washington would initiate measures to facilitate technology access and sharing.
Mr. Panetta met Mr. Antony for about an hour in the South Block offices of the Defence Ministry and held delegation-level talks.
The meeting comes ahead of the third India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue to be held in Washington from June 13.
Both sides exchanged views on the security situation in West Asia, South Asia and the Af-Pak region and on various global security challenges, including in the area of cyber security. They agreed that there are opportunities to enhance ties in areas of mutual interest and concern, says a Defence Ministry release.
Mr. Antony emphasised that the priority for India was to move beyond the buyer-seller transactions and to focus on transfer of technologies and partnerships to build indigenous capabilities.
On security concerns in the Asia-Pacific region, Mr. Antony said India supported unhindered freedom of navigation in international waters for all. At the same time, with regard to bilateral issues, he stressed that it was desirable that the parties concerned should settle contentious matters in accordance with international laws.
