India-US Relations : News and Discussion

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 25 Jan 2015 11:15

453-DDNews has the best quality news readers compared to the cacophony of rrrundyTV and ArnabNOW.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 25 Jan 2015 14:25

NDTV> Nuclear deal to be announced today

Seems Modi is having a *chai pe charcha* with ombaba in full glare of media.

prahaar · Post by **prahaar** » 25 Jan 2015 14:53

Vamsee wrote:@sagarikaghose
Welcome @BarackObama !Hope u'll share with our leadership your vision of vibrant civil rights, a free press and political reconciliation!

=============

:-(
Our "star" journo is asking Obama to involve and *pressurize* Indian leadership. Lutyens Delhi seriously needs purging. I shudder when I think about the number of JaiChands in that tiny 10X10 Sq. Km area. These guys will not hesitate to join hands with pakis or even ISIS to settle their scores against evil yindoos.

Sadhvi Niranjan's statement about Ramzade and Haramzade is at least true in the latter part. The former may be debated.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 25 Jan 2015 14:55

Obama lands in India and all of a sudden DDM goes into the adrenalin mode about "breaking news on nuclear deal". Not surprising since the source of all their "inputs" appears to be in much proximity.

nvishal · Post by **nvishal** » 25 Jan 2015 15:21

Some understanding on nuclear issues

The actual 2005 deal didn't mention any fuel tracking clauses in american reactors by american agencies. Only IAEA tracking was the understanding. The amercian agency tracking clause was imposed later on when administrative formalities were being penned down. The unconfirmed news now is that US has withdrawn its tracking clause. *unconfirmed news*.

Indias liability clause is being handled through an insurance system of pooling in money via premium installments. This understanding is still unclear. Keep the bhopal incident in mind. The UC honchos are absconding and living on US soil.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 25 Jan 2015 15:51

press conference live

[youtube]/watch?v=seMSBLZcDtI[/youtube]

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 25 Jan 2015 16:02

"It's a great honor. We are grateful for this extraordinary hospitality," Obama said during a welcome at the presidential palace, where there was a guard of honor, a 21-gun salute and a stray dog running around the forecourt until it was chased away.

Who pays them to write this?

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 25 Jan 2015 16:02

modi speaking in English

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 25 Jan 2015 16:27

The US press has this annoying habit of asking questions which are irrelevant to the occasion.

girish.r · Post by **girish.r** » 25 Jan 2015 16:33

Hon PM's reply on climate change - Out of the park

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 25 Jan 2015 16:53

girish.r wrote:Hon PM's reply on climate change - Out of the park

What exactly did he say?

Altair · Post by **Altair** » 25 Jan 2015 17:04

Excellent news..
In the joint statement Modi said specifically that NSAs of both countries are talking. Hopefully joint sharing of info on targets for National Bird of Pakistan.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 25 Jan 2015 17:04

No country in the world can pressure India but pressure is there. The pressure is from future generations. What kind of a world are we going to leave for them? That puts pressure not only on India but on all right thinking countries of the world, leaders and indeed on all the right thinking people.

.. that was roughly it ...

girish.r · Post by **girish.r** » 25 Jan 2015 17:05

Kashi wrote:
girish.r wrote:Hon PM's reply on climate change - Out of the park
What exactly did he say?

He emphasized that India cannot be pressured by a state or Individual (as per the question by AP - about pressure build up after US-China agreement), but in hindi it sounded much better and as we say 'Like a BOSS'.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 25 Jan 2015 17:51

DTTI
4 initial *pathfinder* projects > UAV and 3 other minor projects
2 other *exploratory* projects > Aircraft carrier tech. (EMAL ???), Jet engine tech.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Jan 2015 18:11

Well,the US/O'Bomber "blinked" first over the N-deal. The clause of "in perpetuity" intrusive inspections of any N-material sourced from anywhere had to be dumped if the US wanted to get apiece of India's N-cake.IAEA safeguards are the max. that India would agree to and thankfully Mr.M has stood firm. Neither have we blinked over N-Liability. It appears that a consortium of insurers will underwrite the plants operations & supply.If the US had stood firm the deal would've been dumped and the US left out of the lucrative N-plant contracts where Russia is already the leader of the pack,willing to supply over a dozen N-plants without the paranoic US safeguard protocols.

In the sphere of defence JVs,there isn't too much left for the US in the overall scheme of things.We have the FGFA,MKIs, BMos,MTA,MBTs,N-subs and N-sub tech,etc.,with Russia,LR SAM,SPIKE, with Israel,AEW EMBs with Brazil. Therefore,LR UCAVs which have proven themselves against targets in Af-Pak and the MEast is one area where Russia isn't the global leader and we have already obtained some measure of UAV tech from Israel,but acquisition of Predator type drones would give us a significant advantage with Pak in particular.

There is certainly genuine bonhomie between O'Bomber and Namo at the personal level.However,red lines for both leaders which they cannot go beyond.What will define Indo-US relations is the level of support they give Pak in its diabolic terror war against India and how it behaves post O'Bomber visit,once the hype and hoopla has evaporated and the nitty-gritty reality of day to day diplomatic dealings takes over. If Pak resorts to its usual acts of terror against India,and it will surely test us out,and the US found impotent in dealing with Paki terror,it will be back to square 1.

While there may be closer maritime defence relations with the US in the IOR,etc. to contain China,India jumping into the US pot of military allies is also a step too far for India.As the US tries to encircle and limit the growth of China,and imposing further sanctions against Russia,it is only enhancing relations between these two giants.Indo-Russian strategic and military relations are too deep for them to be in any way damaged,as Russia is the only nation willing to give us without too many strings attached its very latest mil. rech,especially with respect to our strategic deterrent ,the creation of an SSBN and N-sub fleet.

ET Xcpt:

"I see US in their defence trade as essentially growing by leaps and bounds in years to come because the Indians have finally discovered that US military technology is second to none," Ashley Tellis of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said.

India, he said, is slowly overcoming the vestiges of suspicion about the reliability of US military hardware.
In the last 10 years, India US bilateral defence trade has increased from almost none to USD 10 billion.
With India headed for modernisation of its defence forces running into several hundred billion dollars, US companies are targeting a major pie of that.

Richard Fontaine, president of the Centre for a New American Security, said renewing the 2005 defence framework agreement, which expires this year, will provide an opportunity for the US and India to reiterate their commitment to security cooperation, including with a defence co-production initiative and possibly India's approval of stalled agreements on logistics and communications.

The US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) has the potential to transform bilateral relations and needs nurturing, said Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Commercial Strategic Development of the General Atomics Electromagnetics.

Barack Obama's India visit aimed at containing China: Think tank

BEIJING: As US President Barack Obama arrived in India for an unprecedented second visit, a wary Beijing kept a close watch on its outcome amid commentaries by official think tanks here that the trip is aimed at containing China but New Delhi will not fall for it.

Obama's arrival was a breaking news on state-run CCTV which showed live feed of him being received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the airport with questions on how it is going to .. impact China and whether it was part of the US strategy to contain Beijing's growing influence in the region.

Highlighting the significance of Obama's visit from China's point of view, Prof Wang Yewei of the School of international relations at the Renmin University told CCTV that Obama became the first US President visiting India for the second time and the visit was also aimed at leaving his diplomatic legacy.

Also from US point of view, India is the key for America's so called Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at containing China besides balancing Beijing's Silk Road push into the Indian Ocean, he said.

"Of course it is American strategy to use India against China. But we understand India also need strategic co-operation with US in defence and security because India has suffered due to separatists and terrorist attacks and need capital investment from the US. We should understand that from India's needs," Wang said.

The visit was also aimed at containing China besides balancing Beijing's Silk Road push into the Indian Ocean, he said.
The visit was also aimed at containing the Chinese and Russian in India, he said.

China is India's largest trade partner ranking above US, he said, adding that US needs to balance China's influence in this regard.

"But India is a civilisational state for long time and pursues independent foreign policy. It is not easy for anybody to use it," he said.
Wang said India is also a fast growing economy and its growth rate is shortly expected to surpass China.
Also, India is the key to climate negotiations. "Obama wants to
various diplomatic goals for which he needs India's help," he said.

An article in state-run Global Times earlier this week said a breakthrough in India-US strategic relations is unlikely during Obama's visit due to Indian sensitivities relating to Pakistan and climate issues.

"Even though the India-US bond has grown stronger, the US will never stop considering Pakistan as its ally in the war on terror. So, it won't be a surprise if India esponds negatively when US keeps sending military aid to Pakistan.

"As a country that has long maintained non-alignment policy, India has no intention to shift its diplomatic strategy, not now and not in the future. Consequently, any cooperation could be treated as nothing but seeking mutual benefit," it said.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... ign=cppsta ..

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 25 Jan 2015 18:39

^^^ The Chinese are 'reaching'. They are desperately saying time and again whether Indo - Japanese or Indo - US, India will remain non aligned.

I am not very sure about our increased courting of US of A but the Chinese are desperately hoping it does not happen. Or so it appears to me.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 25 Jan 2015 19:00

Shreeman wrote:
"It's a great honor. We are grateful for this extraordinary hospitality," Obama said during a welcome at the presidential palace, where there was a guard of honor, a 21-gun salute and a stray dog running around the forecourt until it was chased away.
Who pays them to write this?

You were offended by the description of an unemployed congressman as a "stray dog"? The stray dog association of New Delhi was also offended and has lodged a strong protest.

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 25 Jan 2015 19:09

deejay wrote:^^^ The Chinese are 'reaching'. They are desperately saying time and again whether Indo - Japanese or Indo - US, India will remain non aligned.

I am not very sure about our increased courting of US of A but the Chinese are desperately hoping it does not happen. Or so it appears to me.

Me thinks that the CPC/PLA is deliberately ratcheting up tensions with India, Japan, US, etc and knows perfectly well that this will draw the countries closer together. They don't really mind, because these countries will never invade China anyway. But the CPC/PLA uses the tensions as an excuse for a large and growing military budget (many opportunities for partymen and officers to enjoy the kickbacks), and allows CPC to raise tension with Japan as a means of alleviating internal pressure for democratic reforms / religious freedom / etc. The CPC/PLA are basically hooligans and the tension suits them very well.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Jan 2015 19:25

The TOI had a report titled "Spy Games",whether India's reliance upon US intel was too much and the efforts of the US to penetrate deep into the Indian establishment.Indian officials are regular visitors to "Langley" and despite good cooperation,many in the Indian establishment pout a Q mark about the real value of such intel especially about terror,appearing to be low-grade and of little relevance in preventing terror attacks from Pak,where the US is its chief sponsor.The Headley incident is one main example where the US has been 'economical with the truth".

Therefore,one must not expect that the US will abandon Pak.It has been sleeping with Pak,involved in covert mutual operations against the Soviets,India from CW days and will never give up its favourite rent boy.India must also accept this reality and deal with Pak on its own terms.If the US can carry out drone strikes against "unholy terror" emanating from the world's HQ of terrorism,then so must India also in the future,once we acquire the means to do so. "In peace prepare for war",is an ancient dictum.India cannot afford to let its guard down or depend upon the promises of another "friend".Let us always remember that the US's closest allies are the "all-white" nations of the Anglo-Saxon "5-eyes",Britain,Canada,Oz and New Zealand,even above their European NATO allies. By virtue of the colour of our skin we must never expect to be included in that restricted club. The manner in which our seat in the UNSC is being stymied is proof of the pudding.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 25 Jan 2015 19:42

Prem Kumar wrote:I don't know the reason behind Modi's rush to go out of the way, invite Obama & sign this. I thought the Indo-US nuke deal was given a quiet, Osama-style burial. At any rate, too early to judge .......

I agree, sometimes Modi's obsession for growth could lead to compronpmises in other areas. Any person so focused on one thing can cause legitimate takleef. Hope Modi goes for a win-win and does not let Indians end up paying for a politician's mistakes.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 25 Jan 2015 20:01

a stray dog running around the forecourt until it was chased away.

Ah so!!! Pakistani Ambassador was present and trying to get an audience with The Master, hain?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Jan 2015 21:07

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... .cms#write

Spy games: Is India too dependent on US inputs?
The US is today the most important supplier of intelligence and information to India, from being a rival until a few years ago.
.
NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama's cavalcade comprising the Beast (Cadillac One) will get four layers of security — with the Delhi Police being on the outermost level — as it travels from IGI Airport to ITC Maurya on Sunday. The entire route has been sanitized and snipers will be stationed at buildings on the route.

Obama will arrive at the capital around 10am. Roads from the ITC Maurya hotel to the airport will be shut an hour ahead of his arrival. Af ter the US president checks into the hotel, Sardar Patel Marg will be out of bounds for traffic till noon.

Obama is scheduled to visit Rajghat around 12.30pm through Rajpath, Tilak Marg and Ring Road route during Obamas to be served mocktails on dry day, which traffic on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Vikas Marg will be halted for two hours. Movement of traffic in other parts of central and south Delhi will also be restricted as per the US president's itinerary.

In the secret world of intelligence, where trust is a commodity best not discussed, the US and India have emerged as very unlikely partners. The US is today the most important supplier of intelligence and information to India, from being a rival until a few years ago, sources across intelligence and security agencies say.

That doesn't mean that all is forgiven and all information is fully trusted. The Indian establishment is divided over the quality of information flowing from US agencies.

Cooperation picked up after the 911 attacks in 2001, when the AB Vajpayee government opened up its secret chests containing credible terror information from Af-Pak belt. Until then, there were periods of highs and lows. The shadow of the Cold War, when both sides distrusted each other, hung heavy. "Among our foreign partners the biggest flow of information is from US agencies.Many a times they're highly credible. I won't say always," says a retired chief of one intelligence agency.

Contacts between intelligence agencies of both sides are now almost institutionalized, with visits of senior RAW officials to CIA 's Langley headquarters almost part of the drill. Such contacts exist between other agencies too.

In New Delhi, liaison meetings between intelligence officers of both countries happen often. In fact, many concede the most frequent contact is with US officials.

Much of the information that comes from American intelligence agencies deals with terror. It's now a habit for Indians to expect regular inputs from the US on terror-related developments in Pakistan."It's not always a good sign. We shouldn't get so addicted to their information," says a former intelligence officer.

In most cases, these inputs transform into alerts that invariably become public, causing international concern.Many analysts caution that unfounded alerts have the possibility of adversely affecting India's image of being a stable investment destination.

Even as the two sides boost cooperation, some are also beginning to get worried. "US is one foreign power with the biggest vested interest in the region. We should be wary," one official says. Another argues that in a large number of US inputs, the information was found to be unreliable. "It's tricky and it's advisable to be cautious," he said.

For many in the security establishment, developments of the past decade, such as that of a senior RAW officer defecting to the US in 2004, have added to questions on the US's real motives in India.Their concerns have deepened with revelations surrounding David Coleman Headley.

Such concerns may not be officially placed in the quiet intelligence agency meetings.But for US agencies to enjoy free access deep into the Indian security establishment, their real motives will forever remain the biggest challenge.

[/quote]

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 25 Jan 2015 21:16

Not specific to new-clear deals, but Indian laws and/or enforcement are pretty weak for the welfare of its citizens. Clinical trials by Big Pharma are conducted on Indians, and the some of the dangers go under reported and do not grab sufficient attention. Ship breaking, diamond polishing, itiyadi work are under taken by India to provide some livelihood, but the humans involved in those jobs face long term health issues. They do not earn and save enough to take care of their health problems. The West gets away with outsourcing some of those jobs to countries where laws/enforcements are lax. But then the West lectures these same poor countries on climate changes.

A win win situation is that all these developed countries need young people in their workforce. India could negotiate "take these many million people, and it will help cut down some of our challenges"

In late 21st and 22nd century, human migration and trading will become kosher.

disha · Post by **disha** » 25 Jan 2015 21:28

Prem Kumar wrote:CNN-IBN tweeted that the India-US nuke deal finalized & announcement likely soon (whatever that means). I fear some of BK's warnings may come true.

Why the dhoti shivering? US dropped its last minute clause to inspect each & everything. US was worried that India will divert reprocessed plutonium to weapons, particularly after India demonstrated in 98 that it can make bums out of reactor grade Pu.

For the liability, breakthrough is via the insurance pool.

All in all a remarkable win by chaiwallah

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 25 Jan 2015 21:38

disha wrote:
Prem Kumar wrote:CNN-IBN tweeted that the India-US nuke deal finalized & announcement likely soon (whatever that means). I fear some of BK's warnings may come true.
Why the dhoti shivering? US dropped its last minute clause to inspect each & everything. US was worried that India will divert reprocessed plutonium to weapons, particularly after India demonstrated in 98 that it can make bums out of reactor grade Pu.

For the liability, breakthrough is via the insurance pool.

All in all a remarkable win by chaiwallah

Russia helped in breaking the unspoken ban on India for nuclear tech. The Russia India deal for 12 plants(24) actually broke the previous ban on India for the last 40 years. India needs one more P5 country France to setup a plant with all Indian laws/protocols and internatioanl laws and India will be in the global club. India cannot be isolated from the nuclear clubs anymore.

Russia turned to east as soon as it was isolated in G7

Philip wrote:Well,the US/O'Bomber "blinked" first over the N-deal. The clause of "in perpetuity" intrusive inspections of any N-material sourced from anywhere had to be dumped if the US wanted to get apiece of India's N-cake.IAEA safeguards are the max. that India would agree to and thankfully Mr.M has stood firm. Neither have we blinked over N-Liability. It appears that a consortium of insurers will underwrite the plants operations & supply.If the US had stood firm the deal would've been dumped and the US left out of the lucrative N-plant contracts where Russia is already the leader of the pack,willing to supply over a dozen N-plants without the paranoic US safeguard protocols.

US wanted to control the entire international deal with India. India and RUssia broke the global monoply

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Jan 2015 22:26

prem kumar, I know you are young but think of the 1971 Indo-SU treaty and its utility at that time.

Short answer it caused US and PRC to pause.

Same way now.
Only its PRC and TSP.

----
also means US knows India has enough maal for the nooks. So no point in being prissy about it.

PRC might make overt transfers of more and better nooks to TSP.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 25 Jan 2015 22:33

Narendra Modi ‏@narendramodi 1m1 minute ago

Presented President @BarackObama a reproduction of a telegram from USA to our Constituent Assembly in 1946.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 25 Jan 2015 22:35

Kal Penn @kalpenn · Jan 24
Incredibly honored to be accompanying our President on his historic trip to India.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Jan 2015 22:41

Good to see Kal Penn on this trip.

disha · Post by **disha** » 25 Jan 2015 22:52

SVinayak'ji - agree with your post on the Russian angle., also to point out that it was chaiwallah who gave further fillip to the Indo-Russian relationship - complete with hosting Putin at a short notice. People tend to forget that chaiwallah was elected only in May 2014 and assumed office in June and some Six months into the office we have:

1. Xi visits India and India stares down a Chinese "war" by hand-to-hand combat
2. Putin visits India
3. Obama visits India to attend India's Republic day event.
This is major! I think the first cultural float should be J&K float with complete map of India. A photo of which should be sent every year as greetings to the State Department officials and also to Robin Raphael and the Clintons.

4. Chaiwallah visits Japan, US

In this I am not even including minor countries like Aus or Canada. And have to add, Germany (Angela Merkel) blew a major opportunity due to her arrogance.

Anyway coming to the point, Chaiwallah used all available opportunities to the maximum extent. Be it may using Russian provided breakthrough to bring the US back to negotiating table or using Japanese aid to position India as the next emerging economic pillar of the world or using the optics of Obama's visit to cap, rollback and eliminate Chinese influence from the region.

Imagine the influence of the optics (we will discuss substance later) of Obama's visit to India on Chinese desks? In fact, Modi being on first name basis with Shinzo, Obama, Putin puts him square and central as a major influencer in world politics.

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 25 Jan 2015 22:53

svinayak wrote:Russia helped in breaking the unspoken ban on India for nuclear tech. The Russia India deal for 12 plants(24) actually broke the previous ban on India for the last 40 years. India needs one more P5 country France to setup a plant with all Indian laws/protocols and internatioanl laws and India will be in the global club. India cannot be isolated from the nuclear clubs anymore.

It wasn't an unspoken ban, it was very much a formal one. And it was lifted in 2008 with IAEA approval and more importantly the exemption granted by the NSG. Russia supported India then, as did UK, France, Germany, Japan etc but it was the US that played the biggest role, practically bulldozing the exemption through by pressurizing the holdouts like Norway, Ireland, the Scandinavian countries and so on (the NSG decision required a unanimous vote by 45 nations).

Its only after the NSG exemption was granted that all other bilateral nuclear deals became possible.

As far as the today's agreement is concerned, the scale of profits to be made is incentive enough. Even after the deal with Russia there's still a humongous amount of business left for everyone else.

That said, I have no idea why the deal is being signed only now. The liability issue should only concern the companies involved (GE, Westinghouse etc) not the US govt. Perhaps this deal will allow the US govt to help India enforce the penalties in US territory.

As regards tracking of fuel supplies from US, that's mostly a waste of both time and paper. With the US importing most of its own fuel from Russia, Canada, etc India should hardly be looking to the US for supplies.

Over 90% of uranium purchased by U.S. commercial nuclear reactors is from outside the U.S.

disha · Post by **disha** » 25 Jan 2015 22:55

From first post:

12: 00 pm : As Obama reaches Rashtrapati Bhavan, White House tweets Jai Hind

Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India's President Pranab Mukherjee have arrived at Rashtrapati Bhavan for US President Barack Obama's ceremonial welcome.
Obama's cavalcade finally reached the Rashtrapati Bhawan at 12:15 pm. Wing Commander Pooja Thakur of IAF is leading the Guard of Honour for the US President. Obama was given a 21 Gun salute as a mark of honour.

National anthem of both India and the United States will be played out, following which Obama will be given the guard of honour.

India defence minister Manohar Parrikar, Urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, finance minister Arun Jaitley and home minsiter Rajnath Singh are in attendance for the ceremonial reception for US President.

disha · Post by **disha** » 25 Jan 2015 23:02

Viv S wrote:
As regards tracking of fuel supplies from US, that's mostly a waste of both time and paper. With the US importing most of its own fuel from Russia, Canada, etc India should hardly be looking to the US for supplies.

VivS., it was basically an US attempt to put in a fwk for legal snooping. It was not just the fuel that was to be tracked but any nuclear tech even though sourced from a 3rd nation. For example if India buys some piping from Japan and the piping contains US designed or made insulation, they can then claim that either the design or the material being sourced from US eventually, they have the right to inspect and thus intrude. Such an intrusion than become a basis for example of industrial espionage to full-fledged espionage on India's nuclear program.

Of course, it was a non-starter and I think it was brought in to see if some other concession can be extracted.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 25 Jan 2015 23:04

Viv S wrote:
svinayak wrote:Russia helped in breaking the unspoken ban on India for nuclear tech. The Russia India deal for 12 plants(24) actually broke the previous ban on India for the last 40 years. India needs one more P5 country France to setup a plant with all Indian laws/protocols and internatioanl laws and India will be in the global club. India cannot be isolated from the nuclear clubs anymore.
It wasn't an unspoken ban, it was very much a formal one. And it was lifted in 2008 with IAEA approval and more importantly the exemption granted by the NSG. Russia supported India then, as did UK, France, Germany, Japan etc but it was the US that played the biggest role, practically bulldozing the exemption through by pressurizing the holdouts like Norway, Ireland, the Scandinavian countries and so on (the NSG decision required a unanimous vote by 45 nations).

This is about the Indian protocol and liability clause which was used by US and to put pressure on all the global suppliers to boycott until India changes for them. India waited until the global geopolitical climate changed to its favor.
Basically the Syria event and the UKR event has basically made Uncle no longer a global monopoly power. It punished Russia for this and India gets what it wants.

They want to see how many countries will boycott India and how deep they can get their demands into India negotiations and agreement. The key is the Hyde Act. US positioned itself as the sole negotiator after the Hyde Act.

US wanted to be gate keeper of India on everything including security (also intel). Can Uncle have that kind of global influence? As in the previous post PM Modi built relationship more than what was done by previous PMs in a short time.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 25 Jan 2015 23:11

Duplicate removed

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 25 Jan 2015 23:11

duplicate/triplicate removed...

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 25 Jan 2015 23:12

From White House -
U.S.-India Joint Statement साँझा प्रयास - सबका विकास” – “Shared Effort; Progress for All

Posting in full -

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 25, 2015
U.S.-India Joint Statement साँझा प्रयास - सबका विकास” – “Shared Effort; Progress for All”

1. The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, is visiting India from 25-27 January 2015. The President of India and the Prime Minister of India welcomed the U.S. President as the Chief Guest at India's 66th Republic Day celebrations, the first U.S. President to grace this historic event.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama assessed the extensive bilateral strategic and global partnership between their two countries and pledged to continue to enhance cooperation across the spectrum of human endeavor to better their citizens’ lives and that of the global community.

3. Noting that the multifaceted partnership between the United States and India is rooted in shared values of democracy and strong economic and people-to-people ties, President Obama and Prime Minister Modi elevated the bilateral relationship through their endorsement of a new India-U.S. Delhi Declaration of Friendship, which builds on their 30 September Vision Statement by articulating tangible principles to guide ongoing efforts to advance mutual prosperity, a clean and healthy environment, greater economic cooperation, regional peace, security and stability for the larger benefit of humankind.

4. Recognizing the important role that both countries play in promoting peace, prosperity, stability and security in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, and noting that India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and the United States’ rebalance to Asia provide opportunities for India, the United States, and other Asia-Pacific countries to work closely to strengthen regional ties, the Leaders announced a Joint Strategic Vision to guide their engagement in the region.

5. The Prime Minister and the President acknowledged and expressed satisfaction at the qualitative reinvigoration of strategic ties and the intensity of substantive interactions since the Prime Minister's visit to Washington in September 2014. They appreciated the focused action and accomplishments by both sides on the decisions taken during the Summit in September and in this regard, they welcomed:

The 30 September 2014 signing of an implementing agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to conduct the joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.
The convening of the Defence Policy Group and its subgroups on 28-29 October 2014 to pursue stronger and expanded bilateral defence cooperation.
India’s ongoing facilitation of U.S. Department of Defense humanitarian missions in India, including a mission in October and November 2014, to recover the remains of fallen U.S. soldiers who served in World War II.
The signing of the India-U.S. Statement of Guiding Principles on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development on 3 November 2014, in furtherance of bilateral efforts to advance sustainable development in cooperation with partner countries around the world.
The breakthrough between India and the United States on issues relating to the implementation of the Bali Ministerial Decisions regarding public stockholding for food security purposes, the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, and post Bali work.
Convening of the U.S.-India Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation in New Delhi on 17 November 2014 to review, exchange views, and advance cooperation in diverse areas of science and technology and foster engagement in techno-entrepreneurship and innovation partnership for mutual benefit.
Convening of the India-U.S. Higher Education Dialogue in New Delhi on 17 November 2014 to further bilateral cooperation in this field, strengthen partnerships between Indian and U.S. universities and community colleges, improve student and scholar mobility, and promote faculty collaboration.
The signing of the MoU on 18 November 2014 between Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which would make available up to $1 billion in financing to facilitate expanded cooperation and enhance U.S. private sector investment in Indian clean energy projects.
Successful hosting of the bilateral India-U.S. Technology Summit on 18-19 November 2014 with the U.S. as a partner country for the first time.
Convening of the High Technology Cooperation Group on 20-21 November 2014 to shape a cooperative agenda on high technology goods, including export control-related trade in homeland security technologies, high technology manufacturing equipment including machine tools, defence trade, and fostering collaboration in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health-related information technology.
Convening of the Smart Cities Conclave on 22 November 2014 organised by the U.S.-India Business Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Urban Development and the Mayors and Commissioners of Ajmer (Rajasthan), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and the decision by the Government of India to constitute a high-level committee for each of the three Smart Cities comprising different departments of the Central Government, the state governments, local governments, and representatives of the U.S. industry.
Signing of three MoUs between the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on 25 January 2015 to develop Vishakhapatnam, Allahabad, and Ajmer as Smart Cities with the participation of U.S. industry, in furtherance of the commitment made by the Leaders in September 2014.
The convening of the Trade Policy Forum at the Ministerial level on 24-25 November 2014, in which India and the United States agreed to work towards resolving commercial impediments in both markets, to help realize the potential of bilateral trade in goods and services, and to promote investment and manufacturing.
Convening of the India-U.S. Political Military Dialogue on 4 December 2014 to exchange perspectives on bilateral strategic and regional issues.
Convening the sixth round of the India-U.S.-Japan trilateral discussions on 20 December 2014 to deepen regional engagement and to discuss ways to implement projects on the ground.
The launch of the Infrastructure Collaboration Platform in New Delhi on 13 January 2015 to promote enhanced market access and financing to increase U.S. industry participation in the growth and development of sectors that support Indian infrastructure.
The 12-15 January 2015 expert exchange on Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) strategies and technologies and completion of a Joint Statement of Intent and a work plan for a programme of bilateral C-IED cooperation.
The signing of a framework on and inauguration of the India-U.S. Investment Initiative in Washington on 12-15 January 2015 to jointly cooperate on facilitating capital market development conducive to financing investment; creating an environment that encourages investment in various sectors in India; and working to overcome any obstacles to such investment.
The convening of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group in Washington on 14-15 January 2015 and the 23 January signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent to advance implementation of the Digital India programme and further bilateral commercial ICT cooperation.
Launching of a Knowledge Partnership in defence studies expressing a shared desire to pursue collaborative activities between the United States and Indian National Defence Universities.
Signing of the Statement of Cooperation for Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information between the Reserve Bank of India and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Reserve System, and Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC).
Convening of Indian and U.S. CEOs who are committed to deepening bilateral economic ties by identifying current impediments to trade and investment and working with the two government to find solutions; and identifying emerging sectors where public-private partnership can unlock new collaborations between our two peoples.
The 13 January 2015 signing of the MoU between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Urban Development to enable USAID to share expertise, best practices, innovation and technologies in support of India's efforts to strengthen water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in urban areas.
India’s recent introduction of visa-on-arrival for U.S. citizens and the convening of the first technical discussions to advance India’s membership in the United States’ Global Entry Program, initiatives aimed at easing travel between India and the United States to further strengthen people-to-people ties.
Cooperation on scientific research collaboration on the Indian Monsoon Rainfall currently underway aboard the U.S. research vessel JOIDES Resolution in the Bay of Bengal.
The conclusion of the first of two project annexes between the Indian Department of Atomic Energy–Department of Science and Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy, which will enable discovery science cooperation in particle accelerator and high energy physics.
The 22 January signing of the MoU between the U.S. Department of Treasury and India’s Ministry of Finance to enhance cooperation to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The Completion of an MoU between the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research, All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, and the U.S National Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute.
The 23 January signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent between USAID and the Ministry of Human Resource Development for technical support to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), starting with IIT Gandhinagar, to strengthen research and entrepreneurship capabilities.
The recent finalization of the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship, which will guide and expand the bilateral defence and strategic partnership over the next ten years.
The 22 January signing of the India-U.S. Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E) Agreement to facilitate cooperation in defence research and development.
Continuing bilateral engagement on the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), including the 22 January 2015 agreement in principle to pursue co-production and co-development of four pathfinder projects, form a working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design, and explore possible cooperation on development of jet engine technology.
6. Prime Minister Modi and President Obama jointly appreciated the significant efforts undertaken by both sides in recent months to re-energize the strategic partnership, and affirmed expanding the substantive underpinnings of our diversified bilateral strategic partnership including through expanded strategic consultations, stronger defence, security, and economic cooperation.

7. President Obama also reiterated his support for Prime Minister Modi's vision to transform India, and recognized that India's focus on its development priorities presented substantial opportunities for forging stronger India-U.S. economic ties and greater people-to-people contacts. Reaffirming that India’s rise is also in the interest of the United States, regional and global stability, and global economic growth, President Obama reiterated the United States' readiness to partner with India in this transformation. The two leaders pledged to translate their commitment of "Chalein Saath Saath”: “Forward Together We Go" of September into action through "Sanjha Prayaas; Sab Ka Vikaas": "Shared Effort; Progress For All".

Economic Growth

8. Prime Minister Modi and President Obama expressed confidence that continued bilateral collaboration will increase opportunities for investment, improve bilateral trade and investment ties and lead to the creation of jobs and prosperity in both economies. In this regard, the Leaders agreed to continue to strengthen their broad-based partnership for development through stronger trade, technology, manufacturing, and investment linkages between the two countries and triangular cooperation with partner countries, and that continued efforts to maintain labor standards as per domestic law and agreed international norms will make these linkages more durable. The two sides also committed to continuing to cooperate on the finalization of the Post-Bali Work Programme in the spirit of the Doha mandate.

9. The President and the Prime Minister affirmed their shared commitment to facilitating increased bilateral investment flows and fostering an open and predictable climate for investment. To this end, the Leaders instructed their officials to assess the prospects for moving forward with high-standard bilateral investment treaty discussions given their respective approaches.

10. The President and the Prime Minister also welcomed the fifth annual U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership Dialogue in February, in which the countries will deepen their dialogue on macroeconomic policy, financial sector regulation and development, infrastructure investment, tax policy, and efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

11. The two sides agreed to hold a discussion on the elements required in both countries to pursue an India-U.S. Totalisation Agreement.

12. President Obama commended Prime Minister Modi’s “Jan Dhan” scheme to prioritize financial inclusion for India’s poor. The Leaders noted India’s intent to join the Better Than Cash Alliance.

13. The Leaders committed to explore areas of collaboration in skill development ranging from establishing quality assurance systems for skilling certification standards, setting up of skill development centres, nurturing and promoting social entrepreneurship and strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

14. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi agreed to collaborate in the implementation of India's ambitious Digital India programme and expand commercial cooperation, including by encouraging investment engagement in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

15. In recognition of the importance of their ongoing commercial discussions, the two sides agreed to hold public-private discussions in early 2015 under the aegis of the India-U.S. Commercial Dialogue for a period of two years, until March 2016, on mutually agreed areas of cooperation.

16. Recognizing the progress made in constructive engagement on Intellectual Property under the last round of the India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum held in November, 2014, the Leaders also looked forward to enhancing engagement on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in 2015 under the High Level Working Group on Intellectual Property, to the mutual benefit of both the countries.

17. Acknowledging the potential for technological cooperation in the rail sector in augmenting and optimizing India's rail infrastructure, the Leaders agreed to facilitate U.S. Trade and Development Agency and Indian Railways technical cooperation that will assist Indian Railways’ efforts to modify its leasing and public-private partnership frameworks to attract private sector funding.

18. The Leaders recognized the robust public-private U.S.-India civil aviation partnership and agreed to continue working together to identify emerging technologies and build a larger commercial engagement agenda through key events such as the 2015 U.S.-India Aviation Summit and demonstration of advanced U.S. technologies.

19. Reaffirming their commitment to safety and security of civil aviation, the United States and India will continue consultations between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the India Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with the aim of restoring Category I status at the earliest possible time.

20. Noting the importance of ongoing cooperation in higher education, the President and Prime Minister welcomed ongoing efforts to extend a knowledge partnership for supporting the Indian Institute of Technology at Gandhinagar through USAID. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi also pledged to collaborate through India's Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN), to facilitate short-term teaching and research programs by up to 1000 visiting U.S. academics in Indian universities.

21. The Leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund. The President also affirmed his commitment to enhancing India's voice and vote in international Financial Institutions and ensuring that resources are made available and used creatively through multilateral development banks for infrastructure financing. Prime Minister Modi appreciated the efforts of the U.S. Treasury for cooperating with the Ministry of Finance on the Task Force on Resolution Corporation set up in pursuance of the recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.

High Technology, Space and Health Cooperation

22. Prime Minister Modi and President Obama reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that partnerships in science, technology and innovation are a crucial component of the overall bilateral engagement in the 21st century. They also reaffirmed their support for the role that science, technology and innovation partnerships can play in addressing pressing challenges in areas such as food, water, energy, climate, and health and developing innovative solutions that are affordable, accessible and adaptable, meet the needs of the people of the two countries and benefit the global community. To this end, the Leaders agreed to continue to develop cooperative efforts in many areas of science, technology, and innovation, including studying the impacts of water, air pollution, sanitation and hygiene on human health and well-being.

23. The Leaders also agreed to continue U.S.-India collaboration in hydrology and water studies and monsoon modelling and noted the need to expeditiously work towards launching an Indo-U.S. Climate Fellowship to facilitate human capacity building. The Prime Minister and the President also reaffirmed the importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and math through networking and mentoring programs.

24. The President and the Prime Minister welcome efforts, under the bilateral High Technology Cooperation Group, to seek timely resolution of the challenges to trade in High Technology goods, including the U.S. licensing requirements for trade in certain dual use items.

25. The Leaders reaffirmed the importance of providing transparent and predictable policy environments for fostering innovation. Both countries reiterated their interest in sharing information and best practices on IPR issues, and reaffirmed their commitment to stakeholders’ consultations on policy matters concerning intellectual property protection.

26. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi agreed to further promote cooperative and commercial relations between India and the United States in the field of space. The leaders noted the on-going interactions between their space agencies, including towards realizing a dual frequency radar imaging satellite for Earth Sciences, and exploring possibilities for cooperation in studying Mars.

27. The Leaders took note of ongoing U.S.-India space cooperation, including the first face-to-face meeting of the ISRO-NASA Mars Working Group from 29-31 January 2015 in Bangalore, in which the two sides will consider opportunities for enhanced cooperation in Mars exploration, including potential coordinated observations and analysis between ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission and NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN). The Prime Minister and the President also welcomed continued progress toward enhanced space cooperation via the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group, which will meet later this year in India.

28. Under the umbrella of an implementing agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Atomic Energy of India, the Leaders welcomed expanded collaboration in basic physics research, and accelerator research and development.

29. The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and announced specific actions at home and abroad to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including a CDC-Ministry of Health Ebola and GHSA preparedness training, expansion of the India Epidemic Intelligence Service, and development of a roadmap to achieve the objectives of the GHSA within three years.

30. The Leaders also committed to multi-sectoral actions countering the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and cooperation in training of health workers in preparedness for infectious disease threats. The Leaders agreed to focus science and technology partnerships on countering antibiotic resistant bacteria and promoting the availability, efficacy and quality of therapeutics.

31. The Leaders welcomed further progress in promoting bilateral cooperation on cancer research, prevention, control, and management and agreed to continue to strengthen the engagement between the CDC and India’s National Centre for Disease Control.

32. The President and Prime Minister also welcomed the upcoming completion of an Environmental Health, Occupational Health and Injury Prevention and Control MoU between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Indian Council for Medical Research to further collaborative efforts to improve the health and welfare of both countries’ citizens.

33. The Prime Minister and the President also agreed to expand the India-U.S. Health Initiative into a Healthcare Dialogue with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen bilateral collaboration in health sectors including through capacity building initiatives and by exploring new areas, including affordable healthcare, cost saving mechanisms, distribution barriers, patent quality, health services information technology, and complementary and traditional medicine. The President and the Prime Minister pledged to encourage dialogue between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Indian counterparts on traditional medicine. The Leaders also pledged to strengthen collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation between the regulatory authorities of the two countries to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality of pharmaceuticals, including generic medicines.

34. The Leaders also agreed to accelerate joint leadership of the global Call to Action to end preventable deaths among mothers and children through a third meeting of the 24 participating countries in India in June 2015. As host, India will showcase the power of new partnerships, innovations and systems to more effectively deliver life-saving interventions. They also lauded the highly successful collaboration on a locally produced vaccine against rotavirus which will save the lives of an estimated 80,000 children each year in India alone, and pledged to strengthen the cooperation in health research and capacity building through a new phase of the India-U.S. Vaccine Action Programme.

Defence and Homeland Security Cooperation

35. Prime Minister Modi and President Obama welcomed the efforts made by both sides to expand bilateral defence cooperation in areas of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to continue to work towards deepening the bilateral defence relationship. The Leaders acknowledged bilateral military ties as the foundation of the defense relationship and encouraged their respective militaries to pursue additional opportunities for engagement through exercises, military personnel exchanges, and defense dialogues.

36. The Leaders also acknowledged the need for the two-way defence engagement to include technology cooperation and collaboration, co-production and co-development. To this end, the President and the Prime Minister emphasized the ongoing importance of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) in developing new areas of technology cooperation in the defence sector including through co-development and co-production and the Prime Minister welcomed the U.S. Defense Department’s establishment of a dedicated rapid reaction team focused exclusively on advancing DTTI. The Leaders expressed confidence that continued DTTI collaboration will yield additional joint projects in the near future.

37. The President also welcomed the Prime Minister's initiatives to liberalize the Foreign Direct Investment Policy regime in the defence sector and the Leaders agreed to cooperate on India's efforts to establish a defence industrial base in India, including through initiatives like ‘Make in India.’

38. Prime Minister Modi and President Obama expressed satisfaction over the efforts made by both countries to deepen cooperation in the field of maritime security, as reflected in the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship. To this end, they agreed that the navies of both sides would continue discussions to identify specific areas for expanding maritime cooperation. They also reiterated their commitment to upgrading their bilateral naval exercise MALABAR.

39. The two sides also noted the growing cooperation between their law enforcement agencies, particularly in the areas of extradition and mutual legal assistance, to counter transnational criminal threats such as terrorism, narcotics, trafficking, financial and economic fraud, cybercrime, and transnational organized crime and pledged to enhance such cooperation further. The President and the Prime Minister also noted the serious risks to national and economic security from malicious cyber activity and agreed to cooperate on enhancing operational sharing of cyber threat information, examining how international law applies in cyberspace, and working together to build agreement on norms of responsible state behavior.

40. The Leaders committed to undertake efforts to make the U.S.-India partnership a defining counterterrorism relationship for the 21st Century by deepening collaboration to combat the full spectrum of terrorist threats and keep their respective homelands and citizens safe from attacks. The Leaders reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with ‘zero tolerance’ and reaffirmed their deep concern over the continued threat posed by transnational terrorism including by groups like Al Qaida and the ISIL, and called for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing, and stopping cross-border movement of terrorists.

41. The Leaders reaffirmed the need for joint and concerted efforts to disrupt entities such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and the Haqqani Network, and agreed to continue ongoing efforts through the Homeland Security Dialogue as well as the next round of the U.S.-India Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism in late 2015 to develop actionable elements of bilateral engagement. The two sides noted the recent U.S. sanctions against three D Company affiliates. The President and the Prime Minister further agreed to continue to work toward an agreement to share information on known and suspected terrorists. They also agreed to enter discussions to deepen collaboration on UN terrorist designations, and reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.

42. The President and the Prime Minister also noted the positive cooperative engagement between the Indian and the U.S. authorities with a view to working together to counter the threat of IEDs and to develop counterterrorism best practices.

Energy and Climate Change

43. Noting that the Contact Group set up in September 2014 to advance implementation of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation has met three times in December and January, the Leaders welcomed the understandings reached on the issues of civil nuclear liability and administrative arrangements for civil nuclear cooperation, and looked forward to U.S.-built nuclear reactors contributing to India’s energy security at the earliest.

Clean Energy Goal and Cooperation

44. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi emphasized the critical importance of expanding clean energy research, development, manufacturing and deployment, which increases energy access and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The leaders announced actions to advance India's transition to low carbon economy. India intends to increase the share of use of renewable in electricity generation consistent with its intended goal to increase India's solar target to 100 gigawatts by 2022. The United States intends to support India's goal by enhancing cooperation on clean energy and climate change, to include:

i. Expanding Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R): A renewed commitment to PACE-R, including extending funding for three existing research tracks of solar energy, building energy efficiency, and biofuels for an additional five years and launching a new track on smart grid and grid storage.

ii. Expanding Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D): Both the countries intended to expand our current Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D) through increased bilateral engagements and further joint initiatives to expand cooperation in support of India’s ambitious targets in renewable energy.

iii. Accelerating Clean Energy Finance: Prime Minister Modi emphasized India's ongoing efforts to create a market environment that will promote trade and investment in this sector. President Obama welcomed India's ambitious solar energy goals and encouraged India to continue its efforts to increase trade and private investment in this sector. President Obama conveyed the potential availability of U.S. Government official financing in this area, consistent with its policies, to support private sector involvement for those entities in contributing to India’s clean energy requirements.

iv. Launching Air Quality Cooperation: Implementing EPA’s AIR Now-International Program and megacities partnerships, focused on disseminating information to help the urban dwellers to reduce their exposure to harmful levels of air pollution, and enable urban policy planners to implement corrective strategies for improving Ambient Air Quality in the cities keeping in view health and climate change co-benefits of these strategies.

v. Initiating Climate Resilience Tool Development: Jointly undertaking a partnership on climate resilience that will work to downscale international climate models for the Indian sub-continent to much higher resolution than currently available, assess climate risks at the sub-national level, work with local technical institutes on capacity building, and engage local decision-makers in the process of addressing climate information needs and informing planning and climate resilient sustainable development, including for India’s State Action Plans.

vi. Demonstrating Clean Energy and Climate Initiatives on the Ground: Additional pilot programs and other collaborative projects in the areas of space cooling, super-efficient appliances, renewable energy storage, and smart grids.

vii. Concluding MOU on Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change: Both countries concluded negotiations on a five year MOU to carry this work forward, to be signed as early as possible at a mutually agreed upon date.

Climate Change

45. The United States of America and the Republic of India recognize that global climate change is a profound threat to humanity and to the imperatives of sustainable development, growth and the eradication of poverty. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi share a deep concern regarding the climate challenge and understand that meeting it will require concerted action by their countries and the international community. They stressed the importance of enhancing their bilateral cooperation on adaptation measures, as well as joint research and development and technology innovation, adoption and diffusion for clean energy and efficiency solutions that will help achieve the goals of transitioning to a climate resilient and low carbon economy. They also stressed the importance of working together and with other countries to conclude an ambitious climate agreement in Paris in 2015. To this end, they plan to cooperate closely over the next year to achieve a successful agreement in Paris. The President and Prime Minister reaffirmed their prior understanding from September 2014 concerning the phase down of HFCs and agreed to cooperate on making concrete progress in the Montreal Protocol this year.

Global Issues and Regional Consultations

46. The Leaders agreed to expand their efforts to assist other developing countries and address global development challenges for the benefit of the wider region and the world and they lauded ongoing triangular assistance, which may involve U.S.-India collaboration to address development challenges in third countries in areas including health, energy, food security, disaster management, and women’s empowerment. The two sides noted that this collaboration, which is active with Afghanistan, East and West Africa, may be expanded to additional third countries.

47. Further underscoring the importance of implementing infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity and enable freer flow of commerce and energy in the region, the Leaders agreed to develop additional areas in which both sides could work together, including on India's initiatives to enhance its connectivity with the South and South East Asian region. The President and the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of the economic and transport connectivity between Central and South Asia and the need to promote a secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan as part of a secure, stable, and prosperous region. Reaffirming the importance of their strategic partnerships with Afghanistan, the Leaders asserted the importance of a sustainable, inclusive, sovereign, and democratic political order in Afghanistan and they agreed to convene further high-level consultations on Afghanistan in the near future.

48. The President and the Prime Minister also welcomed the role of the leaders- led East Asia Summit (EAS) process in promoting open, balanced and inclusive security architecture in the region. Noting the discussions in the sixth round of the India-US-Japan Trilateral Dialogue, the President and the Prime Minister underlined the importance of the cooperation between the three countries through identification of projects of common interest and their early implementation, and they decided to explore holding the dialogue among their Foreign Ministers.

49. The President and Prime Minister pledged to strengthen their efforts to forge a partnership to lead global efforts for non-proliferation of WMDs, to reduce the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs, and to promote universal, verifiable and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament. They supported negotiations on a fissile material cut-off Treaty on the basis of the Shannon Mandate in the Conference on Disarmament.

50. As active participants in the Nuclear Security Summit process, the United States and India welcomed progress towards reducing the risk of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons or related materials, and noted their shared commitment to improving nuclear security nationally and globally. The Prime Minister welcomed the hosting of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit by the United States. President Obama and Prime Minister Modi also welcomed the recent convening of the first bilateral nuclear security best practices exchange, under the auspices of the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, as an example of their cooperation on nuclear security.

51. In a further effort to strengthen global nonproliferation and export control regimes, the President and the Prime Minister committed to continue to work towards India’s phased entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group. The President reaffirmed the United States’ position that India meets MTCR requirements and is ready for NSG membership and that it supports India’s early application and eventual membership in all four regimes.

52. The Leaders expressed concern over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, including its uranium enrichment activity. They urged the DPRK to take concrete steps toward denuclearization, as well as to comply fully with its international obligations, including relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and to fulfill its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party talks.

53. The Leaders welcomed recent progress and noted the criticality of Iran taking steps to verifiably assure the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, and agreed that this is an historic opportunity for Iran to resolve outstanding concerns related to its nuclear programme.

54. Highlighting the United States' and India’s shared democratic values and recognizing the important role of women in their societies, the Leaders looked forward to reconvening the Women Empowerment Dialogue as early as possible and reasserted their zero tolerance for violence against women. The Leaders also looked forward to the reconvening of the Global Issues Forum.

55. The President and the Prime Minister also reaffirmed their commitment to consult closely on global crises, including in Iraq and Syria. The Leaders agreed to exchange information on individuals returning from these conflict zones and to continue to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of civilians caught up in these conflicts.

56. President Obama reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and both leaders committed to ensuring that the Security Council continues to play an effective role in maintaining international peace and security as envisioned in the United Nations Charter. They also committed to accelerate their peacekeeping capacity-building efforts in third countries.

57. Both sides also acknowledged that the Internet was a central element of the information society and a powerful enabler of global economic and social progress. Both sides also noted that the growth of the Internet in the coming decade would be from developing countries, of which India would be a significant contributor, especially in the context of its “Digital India” programme.

58. The Leaders recognized that a digital divide persists between and within countries in terms of the availability, affordability and use of information and communications technologies, and they stressed the need to continue to bridge that divide, to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies for development, are available to all people, including the poorest of the poor.

59. President Obama thanked Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for the extraordinary hospitality extended to him on his second presidential visit to India, and he congratulated the nation on the celebration of its 66th Republic Day. The Leaders reflected proudly on recent achievements and looked forward to continuing to work together to build a U.S.-India partnership that is transformative for their two peoples and for the world.

disha · Post by **disha** » 25 Jan 2015 23:17

And if you want to watch, both the content and the "optics"

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 25 Jan 2015 23:41

disha wrote: Imagine the influence of the optics (we will discuss substance later) of Obama's visit to India on Chinese desks? In fact, Modi being on first name basis with Shinzo, Obama, Putin puts him square and central as a major influencer in world politics.

This guy - the chaiwallah , has been an excellent choice . No personal enemities, pure transactional self interest of India and moving towards the US.

Brilliant, unselfish, non-grudge bearing kartavya kaa paalan.

And, BTW...Kiran Bedi is so exciting to see as a Delhi CM ...shall make a huge dent hopefully.