A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for the third consecutive term, the India-US bilateral engagement is set to begin on Monday

New Delhi: A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for the third consecutive term, the India-US bilateral engagement is set to begin on Monday with NSA Ajit Doval meeting US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for the much-awaited second meeting of the initiative of Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) on June 17-18.

The top government officials said that the main meeting of iCET will be held tomorrow with the focus being a review of all the projects considered at the Washington meeting on January 31, 2023, including the transfer of technology of GE-414 jet engines for Tejas Mark II fighters.

Notably, the efforts of Chinese and Western media refusing to accept the India-US bilateral ties by roping in the alleged life attempt on US-based proscribed Khalistani terrorist G S Pannun has conked out with G7 dialogue between Joe Biden and PM Modi. It made it clear that India-US ties are as deep as before.

Even before PM Modi landed in Italy for the G7 Summit outreach on June 13, the Western media questioned NSA Sullivan on whether President Biden ignored PM Modi due to the Pannun issue as if the entire Washington-New Delhi ties were resting on proscribed Sikh For Justice's terrorist.

Significantly, a team of officials from the US are already in India to hold negotiation talks on the sale of the 31 MQ-9B armed Predator drones, just as a French team is in India to negotiate the 26 Rafale-Maritime fighter deal for INS Vikrant.

According to reports, NSA Doval will also visit Paris on June 20-21 to meet his counterpart Emmanuel Bonne and his military counterpart to deepen military ties.

(With Inputs From Agencies)