India-US defence relationship is on right path: Ashton Carter

WASHINGTON: India-US defence relationship is on the right path and the two nations are discussing ways to develop this partnership through technology sharing, co-production, America's outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said today.

"We're on the right path. It's just a matter of taking those steps. And they involve deepening our cooperation in lots of ways. I mean, there's exercises and other kinds of operational activities," Carter told reporters at final Pentagon news conference.

In various capacities, Carter has been closely involved in building India-US defence relationship over the years and in the last few years he gave a great impetus to the ties between the two largest democracies of the world.

Last summer he was instrumental in US declaring India as a major defence partner.

"There is something that I think Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and Defence Minister (Manohar) Parrikar have been equally intent upon as President Obama and myself, which is the development of defence relationships for new technology, which involve technology sharing, co-production, and so forth," Carter said in response to a question.

"We have a great number of projects. I was in New Delhi not long ago and discussing all these, and there are many of them -- so too many to enumerate. All of them on course. They all have their own schedules and sort of technical timelines to them," he said.

"But this is a relationship which is, I've said many times, is destined for the future because of the nature of our two societies, the values that we share; the human relationship between our peoples," Carter said.