US Secretary of Defence –1--Austin called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and expressed his country’s strong desire to further enhance the strategic partnership with India for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

During the meeting, Modi outlined his vision for the strategic partnership between the two countries and emphasised the important role of bilateral defence cooperation in Indo-US ties, a PMO statement said, adding that he asked Austin to convey his best wishes to American President Joe Biden.

The Prime Minister welcomed the warm and close relationship between the two countries which is rooted in shared values of democracy, pluralism and commitment to a rules-based order, the statement said.

Secretary –1--reiterated the US government’s continued commitment towards strengthening the bilateral defence relations between the two countries. He expressed America’s strong desire to further enhance the strategic partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,”

They added that India’s plan to procure around 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over USD 3 billion is also expected to figure in the talks.

The medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE)—2--, manufactured by US defence major General Atomics.

Secretary –1--is expected to meet National Security Advisor –3--on Friday evening while he will hold extensive talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday. He is also likely to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

His visit to India came days after the top leadership of the four-member Quad — India, the US, Japan and Australia — vowed to expand their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The US defence secretary visited Japan and South Korea before arriving in India