Mr. President,

Last year, you and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched a new phase in the ‘India US Global Strategic Partnership’. I bring you greetings from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister has asked me to reiterate the importance he attaches to the Strategic Dialogue and his personal commitment to it.

I am grateful to for the warmth and gracious hospitality that has been extended by Secretary Clinton to me and to my colleagues and officers. Her commitment and involvement in working for a positive transformation of India-US relations has been a key factor in the achievement of the global strategic partnership that we have established today.
Mr. President, we consider our mutually beneficial relationship with the United States to be one of our foremost foreign policy priorities. Our two countries, given our dedication to our fundamental freedoms, openness and diversity, are well placed to be pacesetters in an era of globalization. There are few relationships in the world that have so much potential as India-US relations, because, I believe, that our cooperation is not only for great mutual benefit, but is destined to have a strong impact on global peace, prosperity and stability in the 21st century.

Mr. President, as India regains the momentum of our economic growth, new opportunities are emerging to empower rural communities, especially women. Time and again, we have seen in other developing countries, for example in the pioneering efforts of S. Ann Seotoro, your late mother, Mr. President, in Indonesia, the transformational impact of innovation and microfinance. That is our hope for transforming our economy and society in an equitable, inclusive and sustainable manner.

My colleagues and I have had very productive meetings yesterday and today in our Strategic Dialogue. We reviewed progress in all areas of our ongoing cooperation, and also focused on our vision and the road-map for future. We also discussed how we would work together to realise the immense potential of our cooperation across the spectrum of human endeavour - from strategic cooperation to sustainable growth and economic and developmental partnerships - to achieve real benefits for our peoples and for the world.

Mr. President, we are pleased that you, with your deep personal links with the Asia-Pacific region, are taking strong interest in the future of this rapidly evolving region. We look forward to a stable, secure, prosperous future for this region, defined by cooperation, openness and inclusion.

Mr. President, our agenda is broad and rich. I thank you once again for your belief in and commitment to this relationship and look forward to your visit to India - where a very warm and heartfelt welcome awaits you.