U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said India is the world's largest democracy and reaffirmed the country's ties with the United States, calling it an important “strategic partner” of the United States.
His remarks came as Miller was put on the spot to address “concerns about democratic backsliding in India” and recent publications advocating steering relations with the United States.
At a press conference Monday, Miller said, “India is the world's largest democracy. It is a vital strategic partner of the United States, and we expect that to continue to be true.”
Recently, U.S. officials have also called India a “very important partner,” and the bilateral relationship remains unchanged and continues to grow.
India-US relations
There has been some uncertainty in India-US bilateral relations following the Biden administration's unusual statement on the Sikh separatist movement in the US and the ED arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“We will continue to closely monitor these actions, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. We will also continue to closely monitor these actions, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. We are also aware of the National Congress Party's claims that some bank accounts have been frozen in the United States and we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal proceedings on each of these matters.” Mr. Miller said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called these comments “unjustified” and said such external impositions on our country's electoral and legal processes are “completely unacceptable.”
He was asked whether the US State Department had taken a stand on Kejriwal's arrest, but not on the arrest of Pakistan's opposition leaders. In response, Miller declined to compare both cases, saying the United States wants everyone in Pakistan to be treated with consistent rule of law and human rights.
(With ANI input)
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