India to buy US weapons worth $3.5 billion: envoy

WASHINGTON - On top of its huge military build up with Russian help and burgeoning domestic capacity, India is buying weapons from the United States worth 3.5 billion amid steadily expanding Washington-New Delhi ties, according to the Indian ambassador.
"Our defence trade was negligible a decade ago. We placed orders worth US dollars 3.5 billion last year. And it could grow ever more in the future," Ambassador Meera Shankar told Washington's Atlantic Council on Monday.
But she is did not say what type of American arms India was seeking. Political observers here regard the boost in India's defence ties with the United States as "significant"
"Defence trade is not merely a commercial transaction. It reflects
mututal confidence and a long-term strategic relationship," she added.
Ms. Shankar, who took over as ambassador in Washingtion in late April, cited expansion in India-US ties in political, economic and security fields in recent years.
She said the U.S. and Indian militaries, once unfamiliar with each other, now hold regular dialogue and joint exercises in the air and on land and sea.
About the controversial India-US civilian nuclear agreement, signed in 2008, she remarked it is strong both in symbolism and substance. "It has created a basis for closer relations, deeper eeconomic ties and a more productive parternship on energy security, lessening reliance on fossil fuel and combating proliferation.
"We have also, in yet another sign of mutual confidence, overcome cocnerns of the past on India's space programme and have made a promising beginning to a new era of cooperation. Indeed, the Chandrian moon mission of
India carried a US experimental payload," she stated.
The counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries has acquired new momentum and depth after November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, she said.
India-US trade has doubled in the last five years and US exports to India have grown three times during the period, she said. She said 2.7 million Indian-Americans, 95,000 Indian students in the United States and hundreds of thousands of travelers between the two countries are shaping political perspectives in the two countries.
The diplomat said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs forthcoming visit to the United States in November reflected President Barack Obama's personal commitment towards India-US relationship.
She claimed India is not seeking a security role in Afghanistan. We do not have any security role in Afghanistan, nor do we seek one, because we do not want to complicate the situation in deference to regional sensitivities. We do have a fairly significant developmental role and have
committed over $1.2 billion worth of development assistance to Afghanistan."
India and US, she said, have over 25 bilateral mechanisms for consultations beyond the political dialogue. These mechanism have opened the doors to new possibilities of cooperation., she added.