India-U.S. Tie Defines 21st Century

Sitting with President Barack Obama at the historic State Dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, i watched as our nations' leaders launched a new phase in the enduring global partnership between the United States and India that will shape and define the 21st century. Prime Minister Singh's visit was a watershed in the partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies. We are moving forward from phrases like "natural allies" to "indispensable partners" and "one of the defining relationships in the next century".

This was a time to reflect on the great achievements of our past and to look forward to our bold initiatives to solve global challenges through an expanded partnership that encompasses all the critical challenges in the decades ahead from counterterrorism to climate change, education to women's empowerment, and science to security.

We are committed to working together to protect our citizens from terrorism, to develop trade and economic opportunities for Americans and Indians, to educate our future generations so they can solve the global challenges facing the planet, and to invest in new technologies which will provide us all an environmentally-sustainable and economically bright future. Prime Minister Singh's visit reaffirmed our energetic and optimistic partnership whose ties are local in nature but global in their legacy and impact. I will enumerate five key cornerstone outcomes that frame the relationship moving forward.