Sen also hailed the Indo-US nuclear deal as the “most outstanding symbol” of the new relationship between the two countries as well as of Indias “new standing in the world”.

India and the US “will not be allies, in the traditional military sense”, Sen said, adding that the two countries should be called “strategic partners”.

Sen, who has reportedly expressed a desire to demit office next month, made these remarks while speaking at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors and the Council of the Woodrow Wilson Centre.

“The India-US civil nuclear initiative, which has attracted a lot of media attention,is the most outstanding symbol of the new relationship between the two countries as well as of Indias new standing in the world”, Sen said.

He also said civil nuclear cooperation with India was one of the few issues on which there was “complete agreement” among the US, Russia, Europe and other countries.

Asserting that defence ties between New Delhi and Washington was “an important facet of their relationship, Sen said the two countries envisage not just defence procurements from the US, but co-production, transfer of technologies and even joint Research and Development.

Hailing the multi-faceted cooperation between India and the US, Sen said it reflected the mutual trust and confidence the two nations shared.