Washington : US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called on visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here Tuesday ahead of the summit meeting with President Barack Obama and both sides discussed the Ebola viru disease outbreak in Western Africa and terrorism.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted that the “issues of the day — Ebola and terror – were among the subjects discussed” when Hagel called on Modi. The joint op-ed piece penned by Modi and Obama in The Washington Post contains reference to the two subjects.
On terrorism, both leaders say that “as global partners, we are committed to enhancing our homeland security by sharing intelligence, through counter-terrorism and law-enforcement cooperation”.
The US is leading airstrikes against targets of the jihadi group Islamic State which has overrun large parts of Syria and Iraq. Many Arab nations have announced support to the move.
On Ebola, the article says that both sides will collaborate in the field of health, which will help them “tackle the toughest of challenges, whether combating the spread of Ebola, researching cancer cures or conquering diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and dengue”.
Before Modi departed for the US visit, the prime minister approved $10 million to the UN fund to combat the Ebola epidemic that has claimed the lives of over 2,600 people in West Africa so far. An additional amount of $2 million would also be given for the purchase of protective gear to tackle the fast-spreading Ebola virus.