The United States on Thursday expressed happiness about the visit External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made to Bangladesh last month.
The U.S. has also welcomed India’s efforts to strengthen regional ties, and said it believes New Delhi has a role to play in the region.
“We were pleased to see Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj make her first official visit abroad to Bangladesh in late June,” said Nisha Desai Biswal, the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, while testifying before the senate committee on foreign relations on India-U.S. ties on Wednesday.
Ms. Biswal said Washington welcomed the new Indian government’s efforts to strengthen South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). “A strong U.S.-India partnership will help us address shared challenges and seize shared opportunities”, she added.
Ms. Biswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to SAARC leaders during his swearing-in ceremony demonstrated “his firm commitment to strengthening India’s ties with its immediate neighbourhood”.
