India is a close counterterrorism partner of the US, said US Counterterrorism Coordinator, Nathan Sales

Washington: Describing India as an "incredibly valuable and close counterterrorism partner" of the US, the Trump administration today said the future is "very bright" for bilateral co-operation in this arena.

US Counterterrorism Coordinator, Nathan Sales credited the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump early in the latter's tenure as the reason behind a "powerful" partnership between the two nations.

"India is an incredibly important, incredibly valuable and incredibly close counterterrorism partner of the US," Sales told reporters during a teleconference at the conclusion of the conference on Law Enforcement Efforts to Defeat ISIS.

"The president (Trump) and the prime minister (Narendra Modi) held a very, very productive series of meetings earlier in the administration, and in response to that set of meetings, the US government and the Indian government have forged ahead to create a really powerful partnership," he said.

Sales said the Trump administration has announced in the US a number of designations related to terrorist threats that India faces.

"I am confident that by bringing together partner nations who have a common understanding of the threat we face that we'll be able to address this," he said.