Speeches and Remarks 2009
As prepared for delivery
Remarks by
Steven J. White
U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission
to the American Chamber of Commerce
Annual General Meeting
New Delhi
April 24, 2009
Mr. Singh thank you for your welcoming remarks. It is a pleasure to be with you all today and speak with you about our bilateral relationship, which continues to flourish even as both our countries face political transition.
With the U.S. elections now behind us, it is becoming increasingly clear the amount of support that President Obama's Administration holds for building on the U.S.-India strategic partnership that has been forged over the past decade. Although President Obama campaigned on a broad theme of change, it is continuity that is defining his vision of Indo-U.S. ties.
I believe that demonstrates that U.S. engagement with India is not dependent on changes in either government. There is broad bipartisan support in the U.S. for our growing ties with India. We saw the same support in India when the UPA government continued to prioritize closer bilateral ties, following the policy of its predecessor, the NDA coalition.
Just as we have a new government in place, so will you next month. At the Embassy, we are watching the impressive and complex election campaign underway here. We look forward to working with the government that is formed after the election cycle is completed next month.
Engagement began at several levels immediately following President Obama's inauguration, culminating most recently with the President's meeting with Prime Minister Singh on the margins of the G-20. Both leaders have sent clear signals that they intend to continue the broad bilateral engagement that has developed in recent years. Both agree, for example, that key economic dialogues such as the CEO Forum should continue and be strengthened in the coming year.
Comparing the Obama Administration's engagement with India to that of past administrations, you can see that we are off to a very fast start indeed. And there is every reason to believe that pace will continue with whatever government is in place after India's elections.
One can not help but be impressed by the evolution of Indo-U.S. relations in this decade. Ambassador Mulford often spoke of how our enhanced engagement has overcome the legacy of distrust. We can all appreciate the distance our two countries have traveled in replacing that distrust with vibrant engagement in ever increasing areas of collaboration and mutual gain.
Even so, I am aware that our expanding relationship has, not surprisingly, led to areas of disagreement that we have been striving to overcome. Overall, I see these disagreements as confirmation of the growth of our partnership, where both our governments are working earnestly towards deepening our ties. We look forward to supporting and enabling in whatever way we can the resolution of such differences.
Indeed, when your new government is in place, there are many areas where the Obama Administration stands ready to move forward our strategic partnership.
On the economic front, we look forward to working with the next Indian government on deepening our financial, trade, investment and energy engagement. Even now, discussions are underway between U.S. and Indian counterparts, in preparation for after the elections, to identify dates for the launch of negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty as well as for the next session of the Financial and Economic Forum.
We may even expand the Financial and Economic Forum to discuss more macroeconomic issues. India's role in the global economy has become more prominent, through its participation in the G-20 Summits and in building consensus on globally coordinated efforts to stem the economic crisis that affects us all.
On energy, India is increasingly a large consumer and producer, with the third largest coal reserves in the world. India is also the fourth largest source of emissions, although on a per capita basis it is far below the U.S. and other developed countries. As a result, the U.S.-India dialogue on energy and climate change will be one of our most important and challenging exchanges. Fortunately, we already have a long history of good cooperation in the area of energy.
Since mid-2005, the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue -- co-chaired by the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman and the U.S. Secretary of Energy -- has carried out a wide array of programs under five working groups to promote cooperation aimed at achieving safe, secure, reliable, economical, and environmentally-sound energy for the United States and India, and for the world.
This dialogue and our common participation in the seven-nation Asia Pacific Partnership (APP) for Clean Development and Climate has produced good work in support of clean coal technology, as well as alternative energies, like wind and solar power. At the end of April, the Energy Dialogue working group on civil nuclear energy will meet in the U.S. for the first time after the signing in October of the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement.
A number of other U.S. agencies with significant financial resources and technical expertise are increasingly focused on India's energy sector: The U.S. Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Trade Development Agency plan to significantly increase their already robust participation in renewable energy development in India through their financing programs. We fully expect our energy relationship to be one of the most important areas of our bilateral relationship over the next decade.
In this new era, and in the wake of 26/11, the highest levels of our government are committed to helping India improve its national defense. We want to be able to provide India with the best possible technologies and equipment it needs to protect itself from terrorism or threat of war.
To do so, we need to sign an agreement with India that will assure the protection of these sensitive technologies. We hope to resolve this matter by quickly signing an agreement for end use monitoring, like we have with more than 80 other countries around the world.
Even as we move forward on our commercial ties, our cooperation in enhancing security remains critical. Terrorism does not abide by election schedules and peaceful government transitions. That is why it has been so vital that, even as the U.S. government leadership transitioned, we have sustained high-level support to India in the wake of the November Mumbai attacks. There has been unprecedented cooperation between U.S. and Indian agencies in the areas of terrorist financing, law enforcement, aviation security, and information sharing.
The U.S. continues to underscore the importance of stronger counterterrorism cooperation with frequent visits by high level U.S. government officials including the FBI Director, the CIA Director, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
We stand in solidarity with India to fight terrorism in South Asia, a sentiment reaffirmed during Secretary Clinton's recent meeting with Foreign Secretary Menon. Moving forward, the U.S. will continue to offer training and assistance to India's law enforcement and intelligence services.
The Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement was the culmination of an unprecedented years-long effort by our governments to elevate the bilateral relationship to a higher level, working together as never before. It demonstrates the great potential our nations can achieve together, providing new opportunities for trade and job creation for our economies, helping India meet its rapidly increasing energy needs in an environmentally responsible way, and enhancing global nonproliferation efforts by bringing India closer to the nonproliferation mainstream.
The Obama Administration is committed to the full implementation of civil nuclear cooperation. We look forward to India bringing its IAEA Safeguards Agreement into force and filing its declaration of facilities, the public announcement of reactor park sites for U.S. companies, and the enactment of global standards of liability protection. We are committed to concluding formal consultations on a reprocessing arrangement within the timeline established by the 123 Agreement.
The U.S.-India relationship in the field of agricultural cooperation is broader and deeper than ten years ago. The Agricultural Knowledge Initiative -- having now completed its three-year funding mandate from both Governments -- provided an opportunity for unprecedented university-to-university engagement.
Further, by focusing specifically on the farmer-market link, our U.S. Agency for International Development has been able to partner with private sector companies on projects that support contract farming and private marketing channels for small and marginal farmers. Our U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched the prestigious Borlaug Fellowship Program and is now working in cooperation with Indian partners in key areas such as food safety and animal health.
We hope this cooperation and "knowledge sharing" relationship in agriculture will now be pushed to even higher levels and expanded to broader partnerships, as the new Administration shapes our future relationship with India.
We also look forward to further collaboration in education. The economic crisis has hit American universities very hard - public institutions are straining under reduced budgets from revenue strapped state governments and private institutions have seen a plunge in the value of their endowments. For the time being, American higher education leaders are scaling back their global expansion plans to focus on their core businesses.
Although Indian students represent the largest community of overseas students at American colleges and universities, the recession may affect the ability of many families to afford American education costs this year - as well as the ability of the institutions to offer generous scholarships.
The good news is that, thanks to an expanded India-U.S. partnership, there will be a substantial increase in the number of Fulbright-Nehru scholarships for graduate and post-graduate training. Scholars interested in U.S. study should visit the U.S.-India Educational Foundation, located here in New Delhi on Hailey Road, to research these and other scholarship opportunities.
Education is a very important element of the Obama Administration's platform for American renewal. As we look beyond the economic downturn, we can see that in both countries there is a serious need to expand the number of qualified trained engineers and computer scientists.
We will urge your next government to actively promote cooperation between Indian and American educational institutions, because current restrictions have done much to discourage the kinds of linkages that will increase mutually beneficial research and contribute to the supply of highly qualified graduates so desperately needed for growth in India.
Now, I realize that this has been a rather lengthy speech. But, this is a clear indicative of the extremely broad and deep relationship we have with India today.
In closing, we at the Embassy -- and in Washington -- see that a new era of bilateral engagement with India has arrived; one which will be a win-win for the U.S. and India, our industries, and our citizens. We at the Embassy look forward to working with you to ensure the promise of this new era continues to be fulfilled.