New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker discussed the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture (IOSV) initiative during a phone call, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Tuesday.

“Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a productive call with US Under Secretary of State Allison M. Hooker to advance discussions on the India-US Indian Ocean Strategic Venture (IOSV) initiative, launched by the leaders of the two countries in February 2025,” the MEA stated on X.

“Both sides discussed opportunities for practical cooperation and complementarity in the Indian Ocean Region, including maritime security, strategic infrastructure and connectivity, in line with the priorities of partner countries,” it added.

The Indian Ocean Strategic Venture (IOSV), a new bilateral, whole-of-government forum to advance coordinated investments in economic connectivity and commerce, was launched jointly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington, on February 13, 2025.

"The US appreciates India’s role as a developmental, humanitarian assistance and net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region. In this context, the leaders committed to deepen bilateral dialogue and cooperation across the vast Indian Ocean region and launched the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture," the United States-India Joint Leaders’ Statement stated.

Earlier this month, a senior Pentagon official said that the US sees India as a "critical power" and wants a stronger partnership with New Delhi and rejected suggestions that restoring the name Pacific Command signals diminished US attention to India or the Indian Ocean.

Under Secretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, said the change from INDOPACOM to PACOM reflected Washington's military focus on the Western Pacific and the first island chain.

The US did not downgrade India's strategic importance, he added.

"This is not in any way a sort of denigration of the importance of the Indian Ocean area or of India itself," Colby told an on-the-record virtual briefing organised by the State Department's Asia Pacific Media Hub.

He cited his March visit to India and visits by other senior US administration officials as evidence of continuing engagement.

"We really see India as a critical power, and the Indian Ocean, of course, is very important," he said.

"There are multiple important relationships we have there."

He said that the United States viewed India as a vital relationship with the potential for a natural partnership, even though the two countries would not always agree.

"If anything, we really see India as a vital relationship where there's a natural partnership," Colby said.

–IANS

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