Vision statement vows to make US-India ties a model for the world
Striking an instant bond, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi capped their very first meeting on Monday with a resolve to transform US-India partnership into a model for the rest of the world. “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go,” the two leaders declared in a vision statement released soon after they sat down for a 90-minute dinner meeting in the Blue Room of the White House.
It was a convivial setting from the word go. “Khem cho, Mr Prime Minister,” Obama greeted Modi like a long-time friend as he arrived at the White House. “Thank you, Mr President,” the PM responded. From the all-pervasive bonhomie, nobody could have detected that this was the reception for a man shunned by the United States for nearly a decade — till he turned the tables with a stunning electoral mandate four months ago.
“We have a vision that the United States and India will have a transformative relationship as trusted partners in the 21st Century. Our partnership will be a model for the rest of the world,” Obama and Modi said in their statement. Recommitting US support for India’s membership of an enlarged UN Security Council, the vision statement sought “an open and inclusive rules-based global order, in which India assumes greater multilateral responsibility, including in a reformed United Nations Security Council”.
The statement pledges that the two countries would work together to combat terrorist threats, keep homelands safe, and respond expeditiously to humanitarian disasters and crises. It also spoke of closer coordination between the two at the United Nations and beyond in the interest of “a more secure and just world”.
Assuring Indian backing for setting up US nuclear power plants, the statement noted: “We will partner to ensure that both countries have affordable, clean, reliable, and diverse sources of energy, including through our efforts to bring American-origin nuclear power technologies to India.”
“As leaders of two great democratic nations with diverse traditions and faiths, we share a vision for a partnership in which the United States and India work together, not just for the benefit of both our nations, but for the benefit of the world,” they said and spoke of the “currents of kinship and commerce, scholarship and science tie our countries together”.
The statement also speaks of joint research and collaboration in every aspect - ranging from particles of creation to outer space. It makes the case for open markets, fair and transparent practices that will allow trade in goods and services to flourish. It also calls for joint actions in other areas, including climate change.
“Together we seek a reliable and enduring friendship that bolsters security and stability, contributes to the global economy, and advances peace and prosperity for our citizens and throughout the world,” the two leaders noted.
At the dinner table, Modi, on what was Day 5 of his Navaratri fast, requested Obama and other guests to proceed with their dinner even as he stuck to his glass of warm water.
The special invitees for the evening included Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice. First lady Michelle Obama was not there as she was reported to be travelling. The Indian guests included External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and Indian Ambassador S Jaishankar.
Syed Akbaruddin, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman, said it was “a free-flowing discussion” at the dinner engagement. Obama and Modi reportedly saw a lot of common experiences in their rise to the top. Both social media enthusiasts with millions of followers on Facebook and Twitter, they dwelt on their ability to connect with the masses.
The discussion was more in the nature of getting to know each other, devoid of any deliberation of substantive issues that were all reserved for the formal Oval Office talks on Tuesday. Yet, as Akbaruddin put it, both sides “felt the need to focus on some big things to achieve in a finite period over the next few years”.
Modi, sure enough, had a gift for Obama. It was a copy of “The Bhagwad Gita According to Gandhi”, a volume based on Gandhi’s talks given by Gandhi between February and November 1926 at the Satyagraha Ashram in Ahmedabad.