'India-US relationship could be defining partnerships of 21st century'

India is a key pillar in US strategy in the Indo-Pacific region and the India-US relationship could be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century, the US Department of Defence said in a statement on Saturday.

The US Defence Department said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh agreed to work on areas including information-sharing, logistics cooperation, artificial intelligence, and cooperation in new domains such as space and cyber.

The statement said that Defense Secretary Austin came away from his meetings with Indian officials in New Delhi encouraged by the response from "an increasingly important partner amid today's rapidly shifting international dynamics."

Austin stressed the US commitment to allies and partners throughout the region.

"I think working together with like-minded countries who have shared interests is the way you check any aggression in any region," the US Defence secretary told reporters traveling with him.

The statement further said that the US and India have begun military exercises together and have worked in some counter-piracy operations together.

"India - traditionally a non-aligned state - sees converging strategic interests with the United States in this regard. The US and India have begun military exercises together and have worked in some operations together - most notably a counter-piracy effort off the coast of East Africa and in the Gulf of Aden," the statement said.

( With inputs from ANI )