U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer Farewell Media Address at India Gate, New Delhi

June 30, 2011 | New Delhi

Ambassador Roemer:  First of all I just want to thank the media for coming this morning.  But even more importantly, for your important role in not only covering me as I traveled throughout India my two years here, but the great work that the media does on democracy and your vibrant role that you play throughout this country and to help democracy grow by ideas going everywhere.

 So thank you for coming this morning.  I know you’re very busy with many many other competing activities.

 First of all I want to say that joining together this morning with the students in many ways encapsulates one of the themes that the President of the United States asked me to work on as the United States Ambassador here to India, is to get to know India, to get to know the people of India, to get to know the aam aadmi, the regular men and women of India, not just the people who reside in the Prime Minister’s office, but students, and the people-to-people and the student-to-student and the business-to-business ties that are the foundation of this democratic, and strategically rich relationship between these two great countries.

 In the last two years we have seen significant success in the relationship between the United States and India.  First of all, we’ve seen Prime Minister Singh be honored in the first State Dinner given by the Obama administration.  We saw the President of the United States come to India with an historic and landmark visit talking about India’s global relationship with the United States.  Thirdly, we have greatly expanded and improved our counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing.  Fourth, we have seen significant progress on defense issues and strategic defense cooperation including the recently agreed-to C-17 sale that will give India more muscle and more capabilities on their efforts on humanitarian and disaster relief efforts and regional prowess.  We’ve also seen great cooperation and expanding cooperation between the United States and India on regional issues where we’re working together more on Afghanistan, where we have common strategic interests in the outcome there.  We’re working together more on providing foodstuffs for Africa.  And we’re working more and more closely on issues such as Bangladesh.  This reflects the common strategic interests that the two countries have in Asia and as President Obama said, India is this indispensable partner for the 21^st Century with the United States, working for democracy, working for peace, and working for global development.

I would say that there’s more progress that can be made between the two countries as we look into the next few years.  We hope to see continued economic and trade progress take place.  We think this benefits both countries.  The United States is struggling with nine percent unemployment rate; India is dealing with some of its challenges with rising food prices and infrastructure and energy build-outs.  We believe the United States can help in these areas on economic cooperation and infrastructure building.  This would benefit both the United States and India and help continue to build significant ties between the two countries so that India sees an expanding middle class and more and more people prosper and the United States creates more jobs back home.  This will continue to grow this relationship in the future.

 With that, this has been a phenomenal two years for me and my family.  We are very grateful to not only the leadership in India but to the people of India for their hospitality.  We have been able to see tigers in Ranthambore and Kaziranga.  We have rafted the great waters of the Holy Ganga River.  We have met people in villages in Jodhpur and outside of small communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.  And everywhere we’ve gone people of India have welcomed us with open hearts.  I will forever be grateful for that and I will forever be involved in continuing to build this great relationship between India and the United States.

With that, I would be remiss if I did not end by just opening it up to the media and answering just a few questions before I have to go off and meet with the Prime Minister for my final visit as the United States Ambassador with the distinguished Dr. Singh.

 Media:  After the Biswas incident, India issued a strong statement, and over the past one year we’ve been seeing many incidents, these Kritika Biswas, the pat down of our Ambassador, do you think that all these will have a bearing on [inaudible]?

Ambassador Roemer:  I really think that while these are important issues, and issues that when Secretary Napolitano was here she said that we were working to improve how when you have a Minister, you have very important people visit the United States which we strongly encourage, that that is a smooth process, that that takes place without incident.  We are coordinating more and more the travel itineraries so that those experiences do not take place in the future.

I would like to put it in perspective.  Every now and then there is an incident that takes place either in India or in the United States.  However, when you look at the bigger picture and you see the United States and India ten years ago and the relationship today, how many positive things have transpired in that.  How we’re working together in unprecedented ways in intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism.  How we are working together across the globe on regional peace efforts.  How the United States and India share common interests in a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.  How the two countries are seeing opportunities to combine their great global economies and benefit jobs in both places in the future.  Those are really the positive stories going forward that define the relationship, and I hope the media will, quite frankly, concentrate on those good news stories as well as the occasional hiccup or challenge that takes place in the relationship.

Q:  [inaudible] on the civil nuclear cooperation front with this NSG ban, how is the U.S. going to help India hang on to the “clean waiver” that it won in 2008?

Ambassador Roemer:  I’m glad you asked that question.  Having come from the White House and been in Washington, DC just recently, I would like to say that the White House and the Obama administration strongly and vehemently support the clean waiver for India.  Secondly, the 1-2-3 civil nuclear legislation also underscores our support for India in this debate that’s going on.  And thirdly, our law clearly points to the clean waiver for India.

So the President firmly supports it, the 1-2-3 Agreement firmly supports the clean waiver, and our law firmly commits us to it.

So with India’s commitment as they move forward to ratify the CSC and they work more closely with the U.S. companies, I think you’ll see the civilian nuclear agreement hopefully continue to move in a very positive direction in the future.

With that, I want to thank you all. I cannot be late for my next meeting.  Again, my heartfelt gratitude to all in the media for covering my many events as I’ve been the U.S. Ambassador here.

Thank you, and I have India not only in my brain and in my stomach, but in my blood. I’m sure you will continue to see a lot of me in the future with this great relationship.  Thank you very much.

# # #