U.S., India Agree To Jointly Train Peacekeepers in Africa
WASHINGTON: The United States and India agreed on Tuesday to train troops in six African countries before they are deployed to U.N. peacekeeping missions, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
He spoke after meetings with his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, on economic and security ties, which have been growing between their two countries given shared concerns about China's rise in Asia.
"We agreed on a joint initiative to train troops in six African countries before they deploy to U.N. peacekeeping missions," Kerry told reporters without specifying which African countries would be involved.
"This responds to a growing need for effective, professional, international peacekeeping in regions of conflict," he said at the end of a two-day U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
He also cited progress on energy security and climate change. India is the world's third-largest carbon emitter despite its low per-capital emissions, giving it a crucial role in U.N. climate talks in Paris in December.
The Paris summit will seek agreement on halting damaging greenhouse gas emissions.
"Both of our governments are firmly committed to reaching a truly meaningful, truly comprehensive, and truly ambitious climate agreement in Paris later this year," Kerry said. "That is absolutely critical."
Read More: Indo-U.S. Dialogue Not Aimed At Countering China: Swaraj And Kerry
