Obama, Singh Hail Strengthened US-India Relationsh
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Date: 11/8/2010 8:29:18 AM
Sender: VOA
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Obama, Singh Hail Strengthened US-India Relationship
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, is received by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as he arrives for bilateral talks at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, 8 Nov. 2010.
After bilateral talks in New Delhi, President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh say the United States and India have entered a new era of strengthened relations. This is the final day of Mr. Obama＇s three-day state visit to India.
Strong friendship
Before going into bilateral talks with Prime Minister Singh, President Obama thanked the people of India for their extraordinary hospitality, saying his visit was aimed at strengthening an already strong friendship between the two countries.
"We took this trip with the intention of strengthening what is already an incredible friendship between the United States and India," President Obama said.
From his arrival in Mumbai through the end of his three-day stay, Mr. Obama has stressed his belief that the relationship between the world＇s largest democracies will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
He repeated this point at a joint news conference that covered the economic piece of that relationship; Kashmir and efforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan, nuclear non-proliferation and counter-terrorism.
Kashmir
President Obama was cautious in his response on Kashmir, using it to underscore the American view that India and Pakistan must find a way to reduce tensions.
"I think Prime Minister Singh is sincere and relentless in his desire for peace," the president said. "And so, my hope is that both sides can, over the next several months, several years, find mechanisms that are appropriate for them to work out what are these very difficult issues."
Pakistan
Prime Minister Singh said India is prepared to engage with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues, but he had this pointed criticism for the government in Islamabad.
"But it is our request that you cannot simultaneously be talking and at the same time, the terror machine is as active as ever before," the prime minister noted. "Once Pakistan moves away from this terror-induced coercion, we will be very happy to engage productively with Pakistan to resolve all our outstanding issues."
In remarks in Islamabad on Sunday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari accused India of rejecting what he called "peace overtures". Zardari said Pakistan is working to bring to justice those behind the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
Afghanistan
On Afghanistan, President Obama said India had made generous contributions toward development and helping to improve the lives of the Afghan people. He said he and Singh agreed on the need for all nations to work together to ensure that there are no safe heavens for terrorists.
Both leaders mentioned the U.S. decision to remove Indian companies from a restriction list for high-technology exports and announced agreements to expand cooperation in space, civil nuclear, defense, clean energy efforts and education.
President Obama will touch on these later in his speech to a joint session of India＇s parliament.
Economic issues
Global and regional economic issues also came up during the news conference. President Obama was asked about the Federal Reserve action to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy at a time when Washington is criticizing China over its currency policies.
Noting that the Fed operates independently, Mr. Obama said the move was aimed at maintaining U.S. growth.
"Every country I think is concerned right now about what other countries are doing at a time when their recovery is still fragile, but the bottom line is every county that participates in the G20 will benefit if the U.S. economy is growing," he explained.
On economic and business relations, President Obama reiterated his view that intensified U.S. investment in India will lead to job creation in the United States.
Saying India is not in the business of stealing jobs from the United States, Prime Minister Singh, said the business deals announced during Mr. Obama＇s visit will be a win-win situation for both countries.
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