Secretary arrives in Delhi Sunday for 3-day visit.
By Global India Newswire
WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of State John Kerry said he is looking forward to discussing an array of issues with Minister of External Affairs Minister Khurshid at next week’s U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi.
“We’re going to talk about our shared interest in enhancing economic integration in the region; our commitment to a secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan; and our support for India’s regional leadership,” he said in a video message posted on YouTube.
Kerry, who will arrive in the Indian capital on June 23, will co-chair the fourth strategic dialogue between the two countries. Khurshid will lead the Indian delegation. The secretary is scheduled to leave Delhi on Tuesday.
Pointing out that President Obama had termed the bilateral ties as “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century,” Kerry said “our collaboration has never been more important than it is today.”
The secretary said the two countries are collaborating “closely in almost every field of human endeavor.” He said, “From higher education to clean energy, from counterterrorism to space science, we are seizing new opportunities to work together, and in doing so, we’re increasing the prosperity and security of both of our peoples.”
On Afghanistan, the secretary of state said the two countries “share a strong and enduring commitment to Afghanistan’s peace and prosperity, and India is making important contributions through its reconstruction and development work.”
Kerry said the United States welcomes “India’s leadership in the Asia-Pacific region.”
The secretary recalled his first visit to India as a U.S. senator in the early 1990s, leading the first congressional trade mission after New Delhi launched economic liberalization.
Kerry also spoke about the role he played in advancing the Civil Nuclear Deal. “I was proud to lead that effort in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” he said. “It was a very important vote, one that symbolized the broad bipartisan support for our relationship, the transformation of our ties, and our confidence in each other as strategic partners.”
Besides co-chairing the strategic dialogue, in Delhi, Kerry will also inaugurate the second U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue.
Besides Delhi, during the current foreign trip, which begins in Doha Friday, Kerry will also visit Jeddah, Kuwait City, Amman, Jerusalem, and Bandar Seri Begawan. He is scheduled to return on July 2. (Global India Newswire)