US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter meets PM Narendra Modi

Delhi: US Defence Secretary Ashton on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tweeting about it the MEA wrote - "Strengthening an important partnership."

Strengthening an important partnership. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter calls on PM @narendramodi in Delhi pic.twitter.com/vOHVD7vhMq — Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 8, 2016

On the other hand, PM Modi tweeted - "Had a very good meeting with US Secretary of Defence, Mr Ashton Carter."

Had a very good meeting with US Secretary of Defence, Mr. Ashton Carter. pic.twitter.com/VtSmnnhq2z

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2016

Earlier, terming India a "rising military power", Carter had said, "I believe India and the United States are destined to be strategic partners in the future. It is a large country, it's a rising military power, it is a democracy with which we share many common values and approaches to the world."

Carter had also told reporters travelling with him to New Delhi from Japan yesterday, "The concourse between our peoples is very strong. We're both multicultural societies, but nevertheless, hold together extremely well. So we have a lot in common, both strategically and in terms of who we are."

Carter described India a "major defence partner" and the relationship between the two countries in recent years as strategic handshakes.

"This is a relationship that we've all watched for a long time, but it has grown by leaps and bounds just in the last few years, as measured by - I'm speaking now of the defence relationship - the pace of joint activities that we do between our two militaries, including exercises, which one of our largest programmes of exercises, their extension in scope, including two trilateral exercises as well as bilateral exercises," he had said.

(With PTI inputs)