Transcript of the Joint Media Conference by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna: Madam Secretary, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to Delhi. I am glad that you decided to visit India on your way back to Washington DC. This is a sign of our close friendship.
It also underscores the importance of regular consultations between our two Governments at a time of enormous challenges and far-reaching changes taking place in the world.
Secretary Clinton and I reviewed the entire gamut of our bilateral relations. We expressed satisfaction with the progress in our relationship and are optimistic about the future. The emerging global trends only reinforce our shared conviction in the importance of this relationship for the future of our two countries and the shape of the world in this century.
We have an extraordinary frequency and depth in our dialogue and engagement. We continue to make tangible progress across virtually every area of bilateral cooperation. We expressed hope that our economic relationship, which is very important to both countries, would grow much faster and realise its enormous potential.
There are issues on both sides. I did convey our concerns about the continuing difficulties on mobility of professionals, especially for our IT companies, and protectionist sentiments in the U.S. with regard to global supply chain in services industry. I want to thank Secretary Clinton for her personal attention to the welfare of Indians and Indian students in the U.S.
Secretary Clinton and I also had a good discussion on the path to fostering commercial cooperation in civil nuclear energy. I assured her of India’s commitment to provide a level-playing field to all U.S. companies, within the framework of national law and our international legal obligations. We were pleased that US companies are engaged in substantive discussions with the Indian operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. We hope that they will make early progress towards contractual steps.
Our strategic consultations have a global character, with convergence of views on a range of global and regional issues.
We discussed our vision for Afghanistan. We stressed the need for sustained international commitment to build Afghan capacity for governance, security and economic development, and to support Afghanistan with assistance, investment and regional linkages. Recent attacks in Kabul highlight once again the need for elimination of terrorist sanctuaries in the neighbourhood and the need for stronger action from Pakistan on terrorism, including on bringing to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorist attack. We also discussed our respective relations with Pakistan.
I conveyed our vital stakes in peace and stability in the Persian Gulf and wider West Asian region, given the six million Indians who live there and the region’s importance to our economy.
We also discussed the importance of peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations, based on the position that Iran has rights as a member of NPT, but it must also abide by its obligations as a non-nuclear weapons state under the NPT.
Secretary Clinton and I had a fruitful discussion on the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region, including relations with China, and developments in countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood. We exchanged views on our recent interaction with our Bangladeshi counterpart also.
Finally, we look forward to a productive Strategic Dialogue in June in Washington DC, not only to show case the extraordinary progress in our engagement, but also outline how we intend to take our strategic partnership to a new level.
Thank you.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: Thank you very much, Minister Krishna, and thank you for your warm welcome. And let me congratulate you on the completion of fifty years in active public service.
I am delighted that we are continuing to work together on such a broad range of important issues affecting our two countries. I was also delighted to see the Prime Minister yesterday. It is always a pleasure to be back in Delhi and to reaffirm what President Obama has called one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
The United States and India are two great democracies with common values and increasingly convergent interests. In our meetings today we have worked to focus our agenda and prepare for the strategic dialogues in June. Let me touch on four key lines of action we discussed.
First, we have to continue expanding trade and investment between our countries. We have come a long way. When I first visited India in 1995, trade stood at nine billion dollars, and this year we expect to surpass 100 billion dollars. And I actually believe there is much more potential to unleash. We should be working toward having one of the world’s largest trading relationships, and we need to continue to reduce barriers and open our markets to greater trade and investment.
As part of this, we discussed our landmark civil nuclear agreement. I and Minister Krishna reiterated India’s commitment to ensure a level-playing field for US companies. We welcomed the fact that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and leading US companies are engaged in direct conversations on how to move forward together.
Second, we need to deepen our security cooperation. Our militaries are conducting training exercises unprecedented in scale and scope. We have expanded our work on behalf of our joint fight against terrorism and violent extremism. And our Navies are cooperating to combat piracy, patrol the sea lanes and protect the freedom of navigation.
Third, we have to work to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities in South and Central Asia. I updated the Minister on the new Strategic Partnership Agreement that President Obama signed with President Karzai, and I expressed our strong appreciation for India’s support for the Afghan people’s efforts to build a more peaceful and prosperous future and its intention to host a conference in late June to encourage greater private sector investment in Afghanistan.
We also look to India as a partner in the broad international effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the best way to achieve this diplomatic solution that we all seek, is for the international community to stay united and to keep the pressure that has brought Iran back to the negotiating table on Iran until we reach a peaceful diplomatic resolution.
I welcomed the progress India is making to reduce its purchases of oil from Iran, and hope to see continuing progress because we believe that if the international community eases the pressure or wavers in our resolve, Iran will have less incentive to negotiate in good faith, or to take the necessary actions to address the international community’s concerns about its nuclear programme.
Finally, we need to work together to promote a shared vision for the Asia-Pacific, especially as we head toward the East Asia Summit in Cambodia this November.
I have reaffirmed to the Minister, and continue to speak out in favour of India’s Look East Policy and its growing role across the region, particularly in support of democracy and economic reform in Burma. As an experienced democracy, India can provide key support. And greater trade and transit between India, Bangladesh, Burma – the countries of South East Asia – will fuel even more political and economic progress and growth.
So, our strategic interests are indeed converging and so must our efforts. I am looking forward to welcoming the Minister when he comes to Washington in June for the next round of our strategic dialogue.
So, again, let me thank you, Minister, for your partnership. And let me again thank the Government and people of India for the warm welcome and hospitality.
Thank you.