The Indo-US cooperation has reached a level which was “unimaginable” a decade ago, a senior Indian diplomat has said as he lauded the diaspora for its role in expanding bilateral ties.

Santosh Jha, the new Deputy Indian Ambassador to the US, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June visit also provided a fresh impetus for the growth of bilateral ties.

“Overall, the two countries see each other as partners where progress in one is to the benefit of another and growing prosperity of one can contribute to prosperity of the other.

“Prime Ministers visit to Washington DC in June 2017 saw a reaffirmation of this sentiment and provided fresh impetus for the growth of India-US strategic partnership,” he said.

At a reception hosted in his honour by the Indian American community, Jha said an important dimension of India’s foreign policy has been the growing relationship with the US.

“Among the many factors that has enabled this rapid growth in the Indo-US ties, the foremost has been the role of the Indian community in this country of which all of you are a part,” he said at the reception in Virginia.

“Today, India and the US cooperate at a level which was unimaginable even a decade ago. There is hardly any area of human endeavour in which our two countries are not cooperating in a mutually beneficial way,” Jha said.

The US is increasingly seen as a partner of choice for India’s ongoing transformation and it is emerging also as a security partner in emerging Asia and the wider world, he said.

“Our cooperation on counter terrorism is based on our common commitment to fight this global scourge. Recent designation by the US of Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist and Hizbul Mujahideen as a global terrorist organisation coming on top of similar such designations in the past are examples of our growing convergence on this issue,” he said.

“India and the US conduct today military exercises with each other more than with any other country. Our defence trade has reached over USD 15 billion and is growing,” Jha said.

The event was also celebrated as the US-India Partnership Day.

“I have never been more bullish about the future of the relations between our two great countries,” said Indian American philanthropist Frank Islam.

“There is a bipartisan consensus about the need to maintain a close relationship with India,” he said.