'India-US collaboration can have big impact on global peace'

Noting that the US-India partnership is more crucial than ever before, the ambassadors of the two countries have said the bilateral collaboration can have a big impact on global peace and prosperity.

"In a world filled with complex security and economic challenges, this relationship matters more now than ever before," Indian Ambassador to the US Arun K Singh and and his American counterpart Richard Rahul Verma wrote in a joint op-ed piece in The Huffington Post.

"That's why our leaders have aggressively set out to increase our defense cooperation, create greater economic opportunities for our people and work more closely on climate change. Our national interests are converging on the vital issues of the day," they wrote in their joint op-ed published yesterday.

"We are stronger when we work together, and our close collaboration in the years ahead can have a big impact upon global peace and prosperity," the two top diplomats said.

They said that as the US-India ties continue to blossom, the true test of the partnership for the 21st century will be "how it benefits not just our common citizens but also the global commons".

Terming India and the US as "natural partners", Singh and Verma said the two counties are "indeed on a course to be best partners".

They said the historic visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US and US President Barack Obama to India helped the "relationship soar, moving us past old disagreements and paving the way forward for even more ambitious new collaborations".

Modi and Obama's vision of a rules-based international order - where disputes between states are settled peacefully, trade flows more freely and clean energy reduces the threat of climate change - offers the best promise of a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable century than the past one, they said.

Since Obama's January visit to India, the ambassadors said, the two countries are now working on new initiatives from the outer reaches of space to the depths of the oceans.

"We have reenergized some 30 different dialogues and working groups to ensure close collaboration on issues like cyber and homeland security, women's empowerment, counter-terrorism cooperation and global health security," they said.

The two countries have become indispensable partners in the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region, whether the navies are conducting anti-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa, responding to the latest humanitarian crises or participating in an ever-growing array of military exercises, Singh and Verma wrote.

Singh and Verma underlined that the two-way trade between the two economies increased fivefold over the past decade to reach more than USD100 billion. "The commercial ties continue to deepen and enrich the lives of millions in both the countries," they said.

"Our leaders are committed to accelerating bilateral trade another fivefold. US infrastructure and technology firms are ready to bring their expertise to Prime Minister Modi's ambitious plan to build 100 smart cities by 2020," they said.

"And Indian firms and investors are increasingly present in the US to help power America's growth and create jobs.

"Ultimately, through our shared values of free enterprise and the rule of law, sustained and inclusive economic growth in both our countries can help continue to lift and empower those who need it the most," the two diplomats wrote.