Washington:
As India and the United States began their first ever strategic dialogue, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reached out to India, saying that India is an indispensable partner to the US.
"We believe that a rising India is good for the United States and good for the world. Our two nations, great democracies, dynamic and interconnected economies and engines of progress, understand that our fortunes in this new century are increasingly linked," she said.
"Our people are more connected today than ever before, and we face complex global challenges that will be difficult to solve without the United States and India working together," Clinton said during the joint press conference with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna in Washington on Thursday.
She also reiterated the US stand that it is committed to considering India for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
"We don't have any way forward yet on the UNSC reforms but we are obviously very committed to considering India. At this point, as you probably know, there is no consensus over all," Clinton said in a response to a query about what is stopping the US from endorsing India for a permanent membership in an expanded UNSC.
Noting that both India and the United States have experienced violent extremists, Clinton said she and Krishna discussed the importance of India's leadership to promoting security, stability and prosperity across Asia and beyond.
"Security is more than a priority, it's an imperative," Clinton said.
Foreign Minister S M Krishna too reiterated the US' bonhomie by saying that both the countries have common interest in security and stability across Asia, including on the Korean peninsula.
The minister also said both the countries agreed that terrorist groups operate as a syndicate, leveraging each other's assets and strength, and are increasingly converging together on motivation and targets.
"Hence, a segmented approach towards terrorism, especially in our neighbourhood, would not succeed," he said.
Krishna said India was pleased with the way the counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries has progressed and that they have agreed to intensify it further.
He said India and the US have a shared convergent goal of a stable, peaceful, pluralistic and democratic Afghanistan, which protects the rights and the dignity of all sections of Afghan society.
"India and the United States are partners in achieving these goals. I conveyed our view that these goals can be best advanced through sustained international commitment to Afghanistan, by building Afghan capacities for governance and security through initiatives that are led and controlled by the Afghans themselves," he said.
We will monitor progress together and meet again in New Delhi in 2011, Krishna added.
The US Secretary of State was also asked about the raids in Israel, to which she replied, "We are still gathering information and expect Israel to conduct investigation on raids."
"We're engaged in broad based discussion with Israel," she said.
Earlier, speaking at the Plenary Session of the Indo-US strategic dialogue, Clinton had said that she wanted to dispel any doubts that the US sees India through the lens of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In her opening remarks in Washington, she hailed India's contribution towards rebuilding of Afghanistan, and sought to allay "doubts" that the US sees India only in the "context" of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Clinton said she wants to help dispel "Doubts amongst some Indians that the US only sees India - or mainly sees India - through the context of Afghanistan, Pakistan... or that we may departure from Afghanistan, leaving India to deal with the aftermath." Clinton added that the priority is also to end "doubts in the US that India has not completely embraced its role in regional and global affairs, or will not make the economic reforms needed to foster additional progress. So with this dialogue and the level of confidence that we have established, we will confront these concerns directly and candidly," she said.
Clinton also indicated her country's support for India's aspirations for permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council, saying its rise would "certainly be a factor in any future consideration of the reforms" of the world body.
During the dialogue with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, the two sides vowed to strengthen cooperation in security, military, nuclear energy, climate change, education and agriculture.
"India is a rising global power and already a regional power in Asia. Thus more the need to work closely with India to meet the immediate challenges in the neighbourhood including Afghanistan," she said.
"India and the US must play a leading role in shaping the destiny of the 21st century," Clinton said.
India's External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna, in his opening remarks said, "The global nature of the security challenges that we face today, particularly the threat posed by transnational terrorism, requires us to cooperate more closely than ever before. Though the epicentre of this threat lies in India's neighbourhood, it reaches far and wide all across the world as we have seen time and again and most recently a few weeks back in Times Square." (Read: Krishna's opening remarks)
"Given the fact that the groups who preach the ideology of hatred and violence are increasingly coalescing, sharing resources and operating as one, it is incumbent upon all of us, to focus our efforts laser-like on every one of them," he said.
Targeting only one or other of such groups would only provide false comfort in the short term and will not usher in long term stability, Krishna added.
The US Secretary of State also said the US is committed to modernisation of Indian military and referred to the little known fact that the US has the largest number of its military exercises with India.
Noting that both India and the US have been "seared by acts of terrorism", Clinton said security is the top priority between the two countries.
She said the two countries will have to increase their cooperation in counter-terrorism by better intelligence sharing and training first responders to make "our own homelands safer".
Besides Krishna, other members of the Indian delegation are HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Prithviraj Chavan, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
The US delegation included Energy Secretary Steven Chu; Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Deputy National Security Adviser Michale Froman.s
(With PTI inputs)
"We believe that a rising India is good for the United States and good for the world. Our two nations, great democracies, dynamic and interconnected economies and engines of progress, understand that our fortunes in this new century are increasingly linked," she said.
"Our people are more connected today than ever before, and we face complex global challenges that will be difficult to solve without the United States and India working together," Clinton said during the joint press conference with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna in Washington on Thursday.
She also reiterated the US stand that it is committed to considering India for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
"We don't have any way forward yet on the UNSC reforms but we are obviously very committed to considering India. At this point, as you probably know, there is no consensus over all," Clinton said in a response to a query about what is stopping the US from endorsing India for a permanent membership in an expanded UNSC.
Noting that both India and the United States have experienced violent extremists, Clinton said she and Krishna discussed the importance of India's leadership to promoting security, stability and prosperity across Asia and beyond.
"Security is more than a priority, it's an imperative," Clinton said.
Foreign Minister S M Krishna too reiterated the US' bonhomie by saying that both the countries have common interest in security and stability across Asia, including on the Korean peninsula.
The minister also said both the countries agreed that terrorist groups operate as a syndicate, leveraging each other's assets and strength, and are increasingly converging together on motivation and targets.
"Hence, a segmented approach towards terrorism, especially in our neighbourhood, would not succeed," he said.
Krishna said India was pleased with the way the counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries has progressed and that they have agreed to intensify it further.
He said India and the US have a shared convergent goal of a stable, peaceful, pluralistic and democratic Afghanistan, which protects the rights and the dignity of all sections of Afghan society.
"India and the United States are partners in achieving these goals. I conveyed our view that these goals can be best advanced through sustained international commitment to Afghanistan, by building Afghan capacities for governance and security through initiatives that are led and controlled by the Afghans themselves," he said.
We will monitor progress together and meet again in New Delhi in 2011, Krishna added.
The US Secretary of State was also asked about the raids in Israel, to which she replied, "We are still gathering information and expect Israel to conduct investigation on raids."
"We're engaged in broad based discussion with Israel," she said.
Earlier, speaking at the Plenary Session of the Indo-US strategic dialogue, Clinton had said that she wanted to dispel any doubts that the US sees India through the lens of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In her opening remarks in Washington, she hailed India's contribution towards rebuilding of Afghanistan, and sought to allay "doubts" that the US sees India only in the "context" of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Clinton said she wants to help dispel "Doubts amongst some Indians that the US only sees India - or mainly sees India - through the context of Afghanistan, Pakistan... or that we may departure from Afghanistan, leaving India to deal with the aftermath." Clinton added that the priority is also to end "doubts in the US that India has not completely embraced its role in regional and global affairs, or will not make the economic reforms needed to foster additional progress. So with this dialogue and the level of confidence that we have established, we will confront these concerns directly and candidly," she said.
Clinton also indicated her country's support for India's aspirations for permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council, saying its rise would "certainly be a factor in any future consideration of the reforms" of the world body.
During the dialogue with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, the two sides vowed to strengthen cooperation in security, military, nuclear energy, climate change, education and agriculture.
"India is a rising global power and already a regional power in Asia. Thus more the need to work closely with India to meet the immediate challenges in the neighbourhood including Afghanistan," she said.
"India and the US must play a leading role in shaping the destiny of the 21st century," Clinton said.
India's External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna, in his opening remarks said, "The global nature of the security challenges that we face today, particularly the threat posed by transnational terrorism, requires us to cooperate more closely than ever before. Though the epicentre of this threat lies in India's neighbourhood, it reaches far and wide all across the world as we have seen time and again and most recently a few weeks back in Times Square." (Read: Krishna's opening remarks)
"Given the fact that the groups who preach the ideology of hatred and violence are increasingly coalescing, sharing resources and operating as one, it is incumbent upon all of us, to focus our efforts laser-like on every one of them," he said.
Targeting only one or other of such groups would only provide false comfort in the short term and will not usher in long term stability, Krishna added.
The US Secretary of State also said the US is committed to modernisation of Indian military and referred to the little known fact that the US has the largest number of its military exercises with India.
Noting that both India and the US have been "seared by acts of terrorism", Clinton said security is the top priority between the two countries.
She said the two countries will have to increase their cooperation in counter-terrorism by better intelligence sharing and training first responders to make "our own homelands safer".
Besides Krishna, other members of the Indian delegation are HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Prithviraj Chavan, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
The US delegation included Energy Secretary Steven Chu; Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Deputy National Security Adviser Michale Froman.s
(With PTI inputs)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
