PM says ties with US will be important pillar of India's foreign policy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that relations with the United States will remain one of the important pillars of India's foreign policy.

"We see the United States as an important partner for meeting our national development goals and in creating a global environment marked by consensus, co-existence and cooperation," he told members of the Indian community in the US at a reception hosted for him in Washington on Wednesday by Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar.

Dr Singh said the India-US relationship was not born out of a crisis or any one concern and nor did it exist in the context of any other relationship.

"It is nurtured by our shared values; and the bonds and mutual respect that exist between the people of our two democratic and pluralistic societies. It derives its vitality from recognition of the enormous potential for mutually beneficial cooperation and a sense of shared responsibility to work towards addressing global challenges," he said.

The Prime Minister said that, for these reasons, the agenda for bilateral cooperation was extremely wide-ranging. He said the two sides were encouraged by the fact that they had made progress across the board in their shared objectives of making their economies more prosperous, their people and the world safer and the planer greener.

Speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, Dr Singh especially thanked the US for the support India received in the investigations and for the enhanced cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism. He said this was just one example of how the two countries were working together to make their people more secure.

He said his four-day visit to Washington was fruitful and most stimulating. He told the community that, in his meetings with US President Barack Obama, they had resolved to further strengthen the bilateral relations and to work together as partners in a changing world.

He said that there were times in the past when the perspectives and priorities of the two countries were different, which had often obscured the commonality of values and interests.

"Today things have changed. I wish to record our deep appreciation for the enormous contribution your creativity, your hard work, and your good citizenship have played in bringing our two nations together. We also value the contribution you have been making to India’s progress and modernization," he said.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that India was today on the march. "While the global slowdown has hurt us too, we have been able to catch our breath and move forward. With a gross savings ratio of over 35 per cent of national income, and a gross investment ratio that is almost close to 40 per cent, we now have the economic pre-conditions for sustained high growth. Growth brings with it new challenges and new opportunities," he said.

He said the country needed better education and health care systems and investments in these areas, a modern infrastructure. He said the country hoped to march forward through the application of modern science and technology.

According to him, more than the resources, the country will require imagination and innovation to succeed. "People of Indian origin worldwide can contribute mightily to this effort. In the past few years we have already experienced what has been called a 'reverse brain-drain'. I would prefer to call this 'brain gain' or, indeed, a meeting of minds," he said.

Dr Singh said the Government had tried to encourage this flow by making it easier for Indian and American scholars, business leaders and other professionals to work together. He invited all Indian Americans and non-resident Indians who wished to return home to India in one capacity or another to do so. "You no longer have to make a choice between here and there. Modern technology and our flexible policies have opened possibilities of working in both places," he said.

He said he wanted to see a true intellectual and business partnership between Indians and Americans in the years to come.

"We are similar in so many ways. We are both free and open societies. We are both plural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-religious societies. Metaphors like salad bowl, melting pot and the rainbow have been used to describe both our societies. We are constantly dealing with issues like coalition building, dealing with civil society organizations, non-governmental activism and the free consumer – of goods and ideas," he said.

He said that this was what made it easy for Indians to adapt themselves to the US and for Americans to adapt themselves to India.

The Prime Minister said President Obama and he met at a time when the relationship between the two countries had matured into a strong strategic partnership of global dimension.

"This is a time of economic uncertainty and security challenges, but it is also a time of opportunity. There is a greater global awareness of the challenges and the need for stronger resolve to address them," he said.

He said he and Mr Obama had extremely good discussions on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues. This was their first detailed discussion in a bilateral setting and he said he found in Mr Obama a great deal of respect for India and its values, and a strong commitment to the bilateral relationship

"We have, I believe, laid the foundation for consolidating the gains in our relationship. We are establishing new directions in the next phase of our relationship that will enable us to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Our relationship will see a new emphasis on five Es – economy, energy, environment, education and empowerment – even as we further strengthen our ties in defence, security and counter-terrorism. We will also harness our natural synergies in science and technology, education and research to advance food security, improve healthcare, develop green technologies and create the human resources for the future," he said.

"It is through the example of your family life, your good neighbourliness, your enterprise and your contribution to knowledge and commerce that you have given the land of your ancestors a new identity in the new world. We, at home in India, value that," the Prime Minister added.

NNN