US President George W Bush met on Tuesday with Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, praising recent progress towards defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, the White House said.
"The President congratulated the foreign minister on the important progress being made in the relationship between Pakistan and India," spokesman Scott McClellan said after the early-morning meeting at the presidential mansion.
"They also discussed the next steps in the strategic partnership between India and the United States" in the wake of US President Bush's announcement last week of deepening co-operation on space, missile defence and civilian nuclear programmes, said McClellan.
"Co-operation in these areas will deepen the ties of commerce and friendship between our two nations and will increase stability in Asia and beyond," Bush said in a statement announcing the shift.
The two nations will take "a series of reciprocal steps," including expanded engagement on nuclear regulatory and safety issues and missile defence, and they will seek ways to enhance co-operation in peaceful uses of space technology, said Bush.
On the high-technology trade front, the two sides will tighten restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
McClellan declined to comment on the $1.5 billion military contract India signed with Russia on Tuesday saying; Bush's meeting with the diplomat lasted just fifteen minutes.