Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, has said Washington is prepared to take decisive action and actively participate in matters and regions that align with its own interests.
Patel made this statement during a press briefing on Wednesday in response to a journalist's query regarding comments made by Indian security advisor Ajit Doval. Doval had expressed the view that the US should refrain from any actions that could disrupt the equilibrium and stability in Southeast Asia, just prior to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing visit to the United States.
Patel said: “I will say two things. First, broadly, the US will not hesitate to act and engage on issues and areas that are in its interests. But what I will also say is that as it relates to the region, India is an important partner on a lot of these pursuits.
“As I said, we work cooperatively with our Indian partners to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific. We jointly tackle global challenges, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with our Indian partners to continue to work towards a world and an Indo-Pacific region – including Southeast Asia – that is open, prosperous, secure, stable and resilient.”
