Washington: Describing India as a powerhouse
increasingly critical to the conduct of global affairs, a top
US Senator has said the two countries can work together in
addressing the challenges of the region and the world.
"It is just simply a reality that India is a powerhouse,
an extraordinary country, a place of those vibrant debate, a
remarkable cultural diversity, great political diversity and
increasingly critical to the conduct of global affairs," said
Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign
Relations Committee.
Kerry was addressing a gathering of his Senate colleagues
and eminent Indian-Americans at a welcome reception today
hosted by the Senate India Caucus in honor of the new Indian
Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao.
Noting that the two countries share the foundation of
democracy; Kerry said India and the US have great partnership
ahead.
"A lot we can do together," said Kerry, who is likely to
visit India in a month or two.
"As the Ambassador knows, I intend to be travelling (to
India). I had to postpone the trip in the last days but I am
looking forward to getting there in the next month or two and
continue to dialogue about how we work together to deal with
some very complicated and challenging issues across," he
said.
"I am confident, it would grow in South Asia and rest of
the world, I am just looking forward to be part of this
exciting moment in history," he said.
The top American Senator said countries across the globe
can learn from India`s behavior on the nuclear issue.
"Our relationship on nuclear issues is obviously one that
has expanded and growing," he said.
"India`s remarkable sense of responsibility with respect
to stewardship of nuclear power, even though NPT has been
something outside that guide post, has nevertheless been
exemplary and stands as an example to near neighbors and
others in the world about where the future really lies with
respect to exercising that responsibility," Kerry said.
The Massachusetts Senator also praised the economic
reforms unleashed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 1990s
when he was the country`s finance minister.
India then was already growing but was a far cry to where
it has achieved gone in some 15 years, he said.
Kerry who took the first Senate business trip to India
soon after the launch of the economic reforms has traveled to
India a number of times since then.
PTI
