Top US official Hooker to visit India, hold crucial talks with Foreign Secretary Misri
Washington, Dec 7 (LatestNewsX) – US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker will be in India from 7 to 11 December. During that window, she is slated to sit down with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri as well as several other government officials to talk about regional security, economic ties, and shared goals across the Indo‑Pacific.
Beyond New Delhi, Hooker will head to Bengaluru, where she will tour the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and meet leaders from India’s vibrant space, energy and tech scenes. The purpose? To boost innovation in U.S.–India research ties and probe deeper cooperation, according to a release from the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India said, “Under Secretary Hooker’s visit will focus on advancing the US‑India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties, including increasing American exports, and fostering collaboration in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and space exploration.”
The agency added that the trip builds on President Donald Trump’s push for a tougher U.S.–India partnership and a freer, more open Indo‑Pacific.
Back on December 3, both countries reviewed a broad set of conventional and new threats—including terrorist recruitment, tech‑driven terrorism, and terrorist financing—at the 21st India‑U.S. Joint Working Group on Counter‑Terrorism and the 7th Designations Dialogue in New Delhi. Leaders from each side issued a united condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, emphasising growing concerns about drones, UAVs and AI in terror activities. They also denounced the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir and the November 10 terror incident near New Delhi’s Red Fort, vowing to hold perpetrators accountable.
Discussions extended to reinforcing law‑enforcement and judicial collaboration, such as sharing information and streamlining mutual legal assistance. The two parties highlighted the importance of joint training, cyber‑security, best‑practice exchanges and sustained bilateral and multilateral programmes.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs noted that tackling terrorism must involve long‑term, coordinated action. Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to deepen multilateral counter‑terrorism cooperation, particularly through the UN, the Quad and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). They called for further sanctions against ISIS and al‑Qa’ida affiliates, LeT and JeM, their proxies, supporters, financiers and backers under the UN 1267 regime, so that those networks face global asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes.
Highlighting the growing alignment between India and the United States, the joint statement thanked the U.S. Department of State for designating The Resistance Front (TRF)—a LeT proxy—as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
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