Pune: Stating that India and US were the world's two largest Democracies, the Defence Minister George Fernandes called for increasing the content of the economic and military relationship between both the countries.

Speaking at the General B C Joshi memorial lecture, organised by Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Pune University, Fernandes said the recent visit of Bill Gates to India underscores how India is techno-savvy like US and hence it was possible for India to leapfrog and catch up with the developed nations.

On the Indo-US relationship, Fernandes said, "The one domain where the two countries can co-operate is the naval-maritime. What is germane is recognition that India is a credible and stabilising force in the maritime domain where it has established a reasonable presence in tandem with other Navies."

"It is in the military-security field that I envisage considerable scope for arriving at consensual mutuality on both sides. The land, air and maritime forces have exercised with each other and identified areas for further co-operation," he said.

Whether it is the expertise in combating terrorism and insurgency as evident in Mizoram or the expertise acquired in UN Peace Keeping operations, India can bring some distinctive attributes and benefit from access to US military technology and related industry, he added.

PTI