Washington/New Delhi: US President Barack
Obama is excited about his maiden visit to India--just two
months away--and is looking forward to the trip, US officials
said, adding the two countries should have constructive ties.
"The President looks forward to his trip to India," State
Department spokesman, P J Crowley, told foreign journalists at
the Washington Foreign Press Center. Obama is expected to
visit India early November.
"As we`ve said many times, it is a vitally important
relationship to the region and to the world," Crowley said in
response to a question.
"The world`s oldest democracy and largest democracy
should have constructive relations, and we do.
India, as an emerging global player, will be essential
to solving challenges in the region, Afghanistan being one,
and challenges globally, climate change, you know, being one,"
Crowley said when asked about the agenda during the Obama trip
to India.
In New Delhi, US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer said
Obama is excited about his visit expected to strengthen the
strategic Indo-US partnership, especially related to
counter-terror and emerging businesses.
Roemer said the visit would be extraordinary and it
reflects the US President`s deep respect for Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
"When I was back home in the US this summer and visited
White House, the level of excitment, the anticipation on the
part of the President, all leaders...how excited our country,
not just the President, but our people to have the visit," he
told reporters after a meeting with Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram.
The Ambassador said many meetings were taking place
between Indian and American officials about the visit.
"The President calls it indispensible partnership today
in the 21st century between the two countries...the global
partnership," he said.
Roemer said he discussed with Chidambaram about the
Obama visit to India and how both countries and all
leaders are excited about it.
"We talked about how closely the US and India are working
together on counter terrorism issues....at the techincal level
and at strategic level. We talked about the opportunities to
increase this cooperation in the future," he said.
American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said early
this week that US is laying the foundation for an
indispensable partnership with India, and this effort would be
bolstered by Obama`s visit.
"India, the world`s largest democracy, has a very large
convergence of fundamental values and a broad range of both
national and regional interests, and we are laying the
foundation for an indispensable partnership," Clinton said in
her major foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign
Relations, a Washington-based think-tank.
"President Obama will use his visit in November to take
our relationship to the next level," Clinton said referring to
the scheduled visit of the US President to India in the first
half of November.
PTI
