Declaring that India was the new global power, US President
Barack Obama said the country is a critical player on the world stage. Obama was speaking after he had his first meeting with PM Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.
He said the US sees India as a global partner and together the two countries can play a critical part in meeting the challenges of the 21st century, he said at the end of a lively one-on-one meeting with Singh.
"Singh has unleashed India's economic power in the world. He is largely responsible for the rise of India," Obama noted.
PM Manmohan Singh returned the US president;s compliments by saying India greatly admires Obama.
Singh referred to strategic relationship that had developed between the two countries during the last five years and India wanted to carry this forward.
"Under your leadership we will face challenges such as climate change," the Prime Minister told Obama
Conveying India's keenness to carry forward the Indo-US strategic relationship that has developed over the last five years, Singh told Obama that India and the US shared "same dreams and same vision" and the two countries would like to work together to realise those dreams.
Singh said he would like to invite Obama to India where a warm welcome awaits you. Obama, inturn, invited Singh to the US.
During the talks, Manmohan Singh made it clear that Pakistan must show absolute sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to book before the talks can be resumed between the two countries.
"We discussed development in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We both agreed that our two countries must work together to counter the forces of terror," Manmohan Singh replied when asked about his first meeting with President Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit here.
"We have a global strategic partnership with the US. We both have agreed that there are enormous opportunities to strengthen this relationship and to make it more productive and durable."
He described the discussion as "useful and productive" that focused on development of bilateral relations and how problems of the region can be resolved by interaction between the two countries.
Apart from the global financial meltdown, the two leaders discussed an entire array of bilateral, regional and global issues, including terrorism, energy security, climate change and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"We did discuss the issue of terrorism - we discussed it not simply in terms of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, although obviously we are very concerned about extremists and terrorists who have made camp in the border regions of Pakistan, as well as in Afghanistan," Obama said.
"But we spoke about it more cooperatively, in terms of how we can coordinate effectively on issues of counter terrorism."
"We also spoke about the fact that in a nuclear age, at a time when perhaps the greatest enemy of both India and Pakistan should be poverty, it may make sense to create a more effective dialogue between India and Pakistan," the American leader added.
With developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan figuring prominently in the discussions, Manmohan Singh made it clear that Pakistan must show absolute sincerity in bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to book before the talks can be resumed between the two countries.
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