Вашингтон: The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday (local time) approved the sale of MG-9 drones to India, saying the “US-India partnership plays a key role in Indo-Pacific stability.”
Схвалення відбулося через день після того, як Державний департамент США схвалив продаж Індії 31 озброєного безпілотника, ракет та іншого обладнання на суму майже 4 мільярди доларів.
The Biden administration on Thursday informed the US Congress on its plan to sell 31 MQ-9B drones to India. The deal was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in June 2023.
Тепер, щоб розпочати угоду, потрібен дозвіл Конгресу, а лист-схвалення (LOA) буде надіслано до Індії через 30 днів після схвалення закупівлі Конгресом. Процес також передбачає переговори щодо ціни після офіційного відправлення LOA до Індії.
Сенатор США Бен Кардін (D-Md), голова Комітету Сенату з міжнародних відносин, зробив заяву про схвалення продажу безпілотників MQ-9 Індії після запевнень адміністрації щодо кроків, вжитих для вирішення останніх звинувачень у транснаціональних репресіях. .
“My approval of this sale was the result of months of painstaking discussions with the Biden administration,” he said.
“The US-India partnership plays a key role in Indo-Pacific stability, including through regional mechanisms such as the Quad. I support deepening our bilateral relationship with India as long as that partnership is based on mutual trust and respect,” the US Senator added.
Highlighting human rights and democratic values globally as one of his top priorities, Cardin added, “Progress on these issues requires difficult discussions about our own democracy, as well as discussions with our closest allies and friends. I will continue raising human rights issues with the Administration, as well as with our Indian counterparts because I believe that our shared values are fundamental to the growth and longevity of our partnership.”
He added that he has conveyed his concerns to the Biden administration regarding the “timing of this sale to administration officials in light of the alleged murder-for-hire plot involving Indian officials to attempt to assassinate an American citizen on US soil.”
“I have been assured by the administration that the Indian government is committed to thoroughly investigating the situation and fully cooperating with the US Department of Justice investigation so that there is credible accountability in this case. As the Chairman of this committee, I fully intend to hold the administration to these commitments,” the US Senator said in the statement.
On Thursday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, while shedding light on the recently approved foreign military sale of MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft to India, said, “I cannot give a timeline. This was the initial step today. Notifying Congress of the exact timeline of the delivery is something that we will explore with the government of India over the coming months.”
Highlighting the significance of the deal, Miller emphasised, “Almost USD 4 billion sale of 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian aircraft will provide India with enhanced maritime security and maritime domain awareness capability. It offers India outright ownership and a 16-fold increase in the number of aircraft as compared to their current lease.”
Агентство зі співробітництва в галузі оборонної безпеки, яке є агентством Міністерства оборони США, заявило в прес-релізі в четвер, що продаж допомагає зміцнити американо-індійські стратегічні відносини.