Third Summit meet between President Obama of the US and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India has just concluded in Washington. The leaders gave out a joint statement after the meeting at the White House identifying areas in which joint cooperation has to be accelerated and fine-toned to strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries.
The Joint Statement touches on a large number of topics of bilateral and multi-lateral interests. In part, it was reviewing of the progress made by the two countries on what had been agreed in previous summits. The meeting made a comprehensive assessment of current international political, economic and strategic scenario though essentially focused on the prospect of steady growth of bilateral relations in various areas like trade, commerce, defence, investment, civilian nuclear cooperation, climate change, joint military/naval exercise and participation in anti-terror campaign etc. The vast range of areas brought under purview indicated the global vision of the two Leaders and their role in promoting peace and stability to the world. President Obama recognized that India was not only a regional but also an emerging global power destined to play very crucial role in international relations in times to come. He noted that the world bodies including the Security Council shall have to adapt to the new demands of 21st century and India cannot be kept out of the Security Council membership loop with such a vast population and establishment. The two Leaders recognized that the strongest link binding them together was their firm belief in democratic system, the only system that guarantees justice and equity to the people at large.
It will be wrong to think that only Indo-Pak relations formed the theme of the summit talk. Of course, Prime Minster Manmohan Singh made the point that Pakistan as epicenter of terrorism is the source of destabilization of peace in the South Asian region. The two Leaders agreed that they would further improve and streamline their joint fight against terrorism on global level. Obama stressed that Pakistan shall have to bring the culprits of Mumbai carnage to book. The leaders reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen defence trade cooperation endorsing a Joint Declaration on Defence Cooperation as a means of enhancing their partnership in defence technology transfer, joint research, co-development and co-production. Obama encouraged further participation of US firms in partnering India’s efforts to enhance its defence capacities. He also welcomed India’s decision to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise hosted by U.S. Pacific Command in 2014. The Leaders felt the need to concentrate more on areas of security cooperation, bilateral trade and investment, energy and environment, higher education, and global architecture. Therefore they called for expanding security cooperation between the United States and India to address 21st century challenges in the areas of counter-terrorism, cyber, space, and global health security. Expressing concern over the continuing threat posed by terrorism, the Leaders stressed the need for joint and concerted effort, including dismantling of terrorist safe havens, disrupting all financial and tactical support for terrorism, and sharing of intelligence and information on known and suspected terrorists.
In regard to bilateral trade the two Leaders noted that it had grown almost five-fold since 2001 to nearly 500 billion dollars which made the leaders agree that there are no insurmountable impediments to bilateral trade increasing at rapid pace. Agreeing to consider establishing a Joint Committee on Investment in Manufacturing, the Leaders expected good business environment in both the countries.
President Obama recognized India’s energy requirements to keep the wheels of industry and economy moving. He was happy to remark that after four years of gap from the time of signing the bilateral civil nuclear agreement, it was possible to sign the first agreement between the two countries to establish nuclear power plant in Gujarat. In fact the agreement was signed between US Company Westinghouse and the Indian major the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL). US Company General Electric-Hitachi will establish a unit in Andhra Pradesh. The leaders endorsed the proposal to launch Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE), an Advance Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, to rapidly deploy innovative renewable energy solutions to those who currently lack access to energy.
All this reflects that Indo-US partnership and cooperation have assumed new dimensions, which go far beyond politics and regional strategies. This partnership envisions a wider canvas of international cooperation with new paradigms of concern for international security, peace and prosperity. The joint statement firmly reflects the maturity of the two sides in meeting global challenges of climate, environment, terror, economic slowdown etc. India affirmed that she wants to live in peace with her neighbours but would not compromise her sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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