Ballistic missile defence key area for India-US ties: Carter

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) A joint project on a ballistic missile defence system will be "an important potential area" for an India-US strategic cooperation, a key Obama administration official said here Monday.

US Deputy Secretary for Defence Dr. Ashton B. Carter said at an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on day two of his three-day visit to India that he would, however, prefer the two nations first discuss the joint development effort at the strategic level before engaging in technology discussions.

"That is an important potential area for our strategic cooperation. The two sides should discuss it at the strategic level first before discussing technology," Carter said at the interactive session on 'US-India Defence Cooperation: The Way Forward.'

India is already building its own ballistic missile defence system, carrying out its first successful test in 2006 and following it up with several other successful tests to engage targets both within and outside the atmosphere.

The US has already developed the Patriot BMD system and is now engaged in refining this.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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