Indo-US relations at all-time high, says diplomat

Bilateral relations between India and US are at "an all-time high" and if the Indo-US nuclear deal materialises it would make India a key partner of the US, a US diplomat said.

"Bilateral relations between the two largest democracies have extended to cooperation in military, trade, education, research, culture, health sector and environment protection," US Consul General in Kolkata Henry Jardine said.

"India is already the number one country in sending students to the US with 83,000 students pursuing higher education there," he said.

Bilateral trade was also expected to grow up to $ 60 billion in a couple of years, he said while speaking at the Rajiv Gandhi Central University in Itanagar.

Jardine, who met Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, expressed his country's eagerness to promote the education sector in the state by linking the Rajiv Gandhi Central University with US universities.

The state government, he said, had sought the US help for preservation of ancient Buddhist manuscripts at Tawang monastery, the second largest in Asia.

Welcoming US investments in infrastructure development and tourism, the chief minister highlighted the huge hydro-power generation potential of the state.

He told Jardine that the daily helicopter service from Guwahati to Tawang was scheduled to begin from April.