Tillerson in India to highlight U.S strategy in South Asia

Combating terrorism and India's role in war-torn Afghanistan dominated talks between U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Indian counterpart Wednesday as the U.S. official highlighted the Trump administration's new strategy for South Asia.

India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said that India had agreed to hold talks on Afghanistan with Washington and Kabul.

Tillerson and Swaraj also stressed the close relationship and shared values between the world's two largest democracies.

Tillerson, who arrived in New Delhi after stops in Kabul and Islamabad, said that he had conveyed to Pakistan's leaders "certain expectations" that the Trump administration had about controlling terror groups that operate from its soil. He added that too many terror groups had found a safe place in Pakistan to launch attacks against others.

President Donald Trump's new strategy for the region "can only be successful if Pakistan acts decisively against terror groups" that operate from its territory, Swaraj said in her comments to reporters in New Delhi.

Tillerson is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later Wednesday. His visit also underscores the administration's belief that India is a critical anchor in a regional strategy for the Indian and Pacific Oceans to blunt an increasingly assertive China.

The U.S. sees China as operating outside global rules-based norms as it grows in economic and military might.

Tillerson arrived in India from Pakistan, after visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Source: AP