Washington: In the annals of Indo-US ties, 2015 would be remembered as a transformative year which set the tone for a new dimension of active engagements at the top leadership level and a growing defence partnership that is set to become an anchor of global security.
The year started with a historic India visit of US President Barack Obama wherein he attended the annual Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26. By this he not only became the first American president to attend the top Indian parade, but also only the first one to visit India twice.
President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to establish a hotline between them and launch a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and renew India-US Defence partnership agreement; thus giving a new dimension to this strategic bilateral ties at a time when China is flexing its muscle in disputed South China Sea.
The results were visible by the time when curtain came down on 2015.
President Obama and PM Modi had met thrice during the year - the two subsequent meetings were in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and one in Paris on the sidelines of the climate change summit.
"What we are witnessing in the US-India partnership is the culmination of years of effort - actually decades of hard work - that has yielded important results for both nations. This past year, in particular, was especially transformative," US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma said.
This Fall India and the US launched the first-ever Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, bringing a whole-of- government approach.
In December, Manohar Parrikar became the first Indian defense minister to visit the Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii and given a rare insight of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter himself accompanied Mr Parrikar to America's top nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and give his Indian counterpart a ride on his personal plane. Bilateral defence trade this year crossed Rs 92,000 crore (USD 14 billion).
"Our cooperation became more regular, even routine, which had the effect not only of building a certain durability and resiliency in our relationship that is critical to moving to the next level, but also in resolving disputes," Mr Verma said.
Bilateral trade between India and the US is now around Rs 6,63,000 crore (USD 100 billion), rising five-fold in the last decade. President Obama and PM Modi have set a goal of taking it to USD 500 billion in the next few years.
The year started with a historic India visit of US President Barack Obama wherein he attended the annual Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on January 26. By this he not only became the first American president to attend the top Indian parade, but also only the first one to visit India twice.
President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to establish a hotline between them and launch a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and renew India-US Defence partnership agreement; thus giving a new dimension to this strategic bilateral ties at a time when China is flexing its muscle in disputed South China Sea.
President Obama and PM Modi had met thrice during the year - the two subsequent meetings were in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and one in Paris on the sidelines of the climate change summit.
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This Fall India and the US launched the first-ever Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, bringing a whole-of- government approach.
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US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter himself accompanied Mr Parrikar to America's top nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and give his Indian counterpart a ride on his personal plane. Bilateral defence trade this year crossed Rs 92,000 crore (USD 14 billion).
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Bilateral trade between India and the US is now around Rs 6,63,000 crore (USD 100 billion), rising five-fold in the last decade. President Obama and PM Modi have set a goal of taking it to USD 500 billion in the next few years.
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