NEW DELHI, Feb 17: The head of the United States’ armed forces arrived in India on Sunday and promptly declared warming military ties between the two nations as vital in the fight against global terrorism.

“A solid military partnership is important for the nations’ common goal of defeating terrorism,” the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Richard Myers, said in a statement.

Myers said strong India-US military ties were also “central to maintaining long-term stability in Asia” and he intended to discuss these issues with Indian military officials on Monday.

Myers described the warming relations between the US and India as unprecedented and said defence cooperation would lead the way in continuing to transform bilateral ties.

Myers, who is visiting New Delhi at the invitation of Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes, will meet Indian army chief General S. Padmanabhan, who is also the chairman of India’s chiefs staff committee, on Monday.

A meeting between Myers and Indian National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was also on the cards, an Indian official said. Signs that defence relations between India and the US have undergone a radical chan-ge were evident from a statement by Defence Minister George Fernandes last week.

“We are looking at acquiring more sophisticated weaponry from the US which other nations are not in a position to produce and deliver at short notice,” Fernandes said.

The visit by Myers is the second by a chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to New Delhi in less than a year — Myers’ predecessor, Henry Shelton, came in July.—AFP