Washington DC [USA], January 8 (ANI): Indian Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, met 56th Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson at Capitol Hill on Tuesday and discussed a wide range of issues aimed at further strengthening the India - US bilateral relationship.

Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X, Ambassador Kwatra said, 'Honored to meet Speaker Mike Johnson at Capitol Hill today. Expressed deep appreciation for his support for strengthening the IN-US bilateral relationship.' He underlined that the engagement reflected the growing depth and maturity of ties between the world's two largest democracies.

During the interaction, Ambassador Kwatra thanked Speaker Johnson for his solidarity with India following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025. Highlighting India's firm stance against terrorism, he said, 'Thanked him for his solidarity with India's counter-terrorism efforts following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025.' The discussion emphasized the shared commitment of India and the United States to combat terrorism in all its forms and to strengthen cooperation on security-related challenges.

Kwatra also briefed the Speaker on key areas of the India - US partnership, spanning strategic, economic and technological domains. 'Briefed him on key areas of our partnership including defence & security, oil and gas trade, technology including AI,' the Ambassador said, pointing to the expanding scope of bilateral engagement.

The Ambassador also spoke about ongoing efforts to advance trade negotiations. He said the two sides are working 'towards a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial trade deal.'

Earlier today, he visited IBM Thomas J Watson Research Centre and shared the details of his visit on X highlighting that India is taking steps to build research collaborations and innovation hubs. 'Had an exciting visit to the IBM Thomas J Watson Research Centre Think Lab to witness the cutting-edge research work taking place in quantum computing. We spoke about IBM's expanding footprint in India and the National Quantum Mission, under which India is taking dedicated steps to build world-class research collaborations and dedicated innovation hubs.' (ANI)