NEW DELHI, Feb 5:
India and the US must use energy and persistence to overcome the “obstacles” towards achieving the shared objectives agreed during the “transformative” visit of American President Barack Obama to New Delhi, US Ambassador Richard Verma said here today.
“As the President (Obama) said to me before he departed India, now the hard work will truly begin as we seek to implement this ambitious agenda and take US-India relations to a new level of collaboration,” he said at a seminar at the Vivekananda International Foundation here.
Talking about the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation, he said that finding common ground and reaching understanding to overcome long-standing obstacles to increased commercial engagement in this important area was significant.
These advances will provide a foundation for moving forward and fulfilling the vision of US-built reactors contributing to India’s energy security and promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of moving away from carbon-based energy sources and delivering electricity to the hundreds of millions of Indians who lack reliable access to it, he said.
Recalling a quote that “energy and persistence conquer all things”, Verma said the phrase defines where both countries are now.
“Our leaders have set the tone… It is up to the rest of us to drive the relationship forward,” he said.
He said this involves Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, teams at the MEA and the Embassy, Cabinets, bureaucracies and national security teams and they “must all bring the energy and persistence necessary to overcome the obstacles and see the possibilities before us as we march towards progress on our shared objectives”.
Verma cited as an example the breakthrough achieved in the field of nuclear cooperation during Obama’s visit last month.
“To ensure we continue to bring this kind of focus to the overall relationship, I personally will lead multiple working groups for the US government on implementation,” he said.
“Bottom line is that both of our governments are full steam ahead towards achieving the objectives Prime Minister Modi and President Obama set out for us,” he said.
During his address, the Ambassador focussed on East Asia, security, defence, counter-terrorism and Afghanistan.
Verma said that US cooperation on Asia stems from American recognition that as home to more than two-thirds of humanity and world GDP, many of the questions that will define the future of global peace and prosperity will be settled in Asia.
Pointing to the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions released during Obama’s visit, the envoy said it was recognition that India’s Act East policy and US’ rebalance to Asia are complementary approaches.
Strengthening regional architecture would also be instrumental towards furthering our shared goals in East Asia, he said, adding that shipping lanes and air routes are the veins and arteries which keep economies alive.
“In recognition of this fact, our leaders also recognised that we can do much more to safeguard maritime security, ensure freedom of navigation and overflight throughout the region and promote peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region,” he said.
Looking to the future, Verma said that expanding the bilateral naval exercise, ‘Malabar’, by regularising the participation of Japan and elevating the trilateral dialogue with Japan to the ministerial level were lines of effort that can move us in that direction.
Talking about Afghanistan, Verma added that US recognises India was a key partner in that country’s future.
“We look forward to continuing to discuss and engage with India during upcoming high-level consultations on Afghanistan,” he said. (PTI)
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