High priority to ties with US, Singh says ahead of visit

Nov 21, 2009, 9:00 GMT

New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday left for a four-day visit to the US during which the two countries will look at consolidating their strategic cooperation spanning areas such as defence, trade and energy.

In a statement prior to his departure for Washington, Singh said a dynamic India-US partnership was necessary to meet global challenges like international terrorism, climate change and economic slowdown.

Singh, who is due to hold wide-ranging talks with US PRESIDENT Barack Obama on Tuesday, said India attached 'high-priority' to its relations with the US, which were today characterized by 'greater maturity, depth and convergence of interests'.

The Indian leader said he would look forward to building on this momentum during the nine-day tour, which will also take him to Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

'The last several years have witnessed a transformation in India- US relations,' Singh said.

'I look forward to exchanging views with President Obama on the major global threats and challenges of our time, such as international terrorism, climate change, the global economic slowdown, the Doha round of trade negotiations and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,' Singh said.

Regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, were also likely to feature in the discussions.

'A sustained and dynamic India-US partnership is essential if we are to meet the global challenges of the 21st century,' Singh said.

'At the bilateral level, we look forward to building upon our Strategic Dialogue by adding greater substance to our cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, services, energy, science and technology, defence, high-technology trade, education, agriculture and health,' he added.

Singh's engagements in the US include addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and business leaders as well as holding talks with some top US officials.

A number of senior US officials have been visiting New Delhi over the past months to prepare the ground for the visit.

CIA chief Leon Panetta Saturday met with India's National Security Advisor MK Narayanan and discussed terrorism and the security situation in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Indian officials said Panetta discussed strengthening of counter- terrorism cooperation with Narayanan, who later accompanied Singh to the US.

After his visit to the US, Singh will travel to Port of Spain to attend the CHOGM meet.

'This is the 60th anniversary year of the Commonwealth. We attach high importance to the role of the Commonwealth in promoting cooperation amongst its members and in engaging the world in shaping a cooperative, equitable and development-friendly world order,' he said.