Top US official Hooker to visit India, hold crucial talks with Foreign Secretary Misri

Washington, Dec 7 (IANS) US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker will be on a visit to India from December 7-11, during which she is scheduled to meet Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other officials and discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific. 

Apart from New Delhi, Hooker will also travel to Bengaluru, where she will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and meet leaders from India's dynamic space, energy, and technology sectors to promote innovation in US-India research partnerships and to explore opportunities for expanded cooperation, according to the statement released by the US Embassy and Consulates in India.

In a statement, the US Embassy and Consulates in India stated, "Under Secretary Hooker's visit will focus on advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties, including increasing American exports, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and space exploration."

According to the statement, Hooker's visit marks another step forward in advancing US President Donald Trump's priorities for a strong bilateral partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Earlier on December 3, India and the United States reviewed a wide range of traditional and emerging threats and challenges, such as terrorist recruitment, abuse of technology for terrorist purposes, and financing of terrorism, during the 21st Meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism (CT) and the 7th Designations Dialogue held in New Delhi.

Both sides unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They expressed concern over the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, and AI for terrorist purposes.

They strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, and the recent heinous terror incident near the Red Fort, New Delhi, on November 10, 2025, and stressed that those responsible for terrorism should be held accountable," read the Joint Statement issued after the meetings.

Participants from India and the United States discussed strengthening law enforcement and judicial cooperation, including through information sharing and cooperation on mutual legal assistance requests.

Both sides also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation against challenges, including through training, cybersecurity, exchange of best practices, and information sharing through continued bilateral and multilateral efforts.

According to the MEA, both sides emphasised that confronting terrorism requires concerted action in a sustained and comprehensive manner. Against this backdrop, the two sides renewed their commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation in the field of countering terrorism, including in the UN, Quad and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The two sides had called for additional designations of ISIS and al-Qa'ida affiliates, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and their proxy groups, supporters, sponsors, financiers and backers, under the UN 1267 sanctions regime, ensuring their members face a global asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.

Underscoring the growing convergence between India and the United States on counterterrorism, the Indian side thanked the US Department of State for designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of LeT, as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)," the Joint Statement added.

--IANS

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