Fact Sheet: Advancing U.S., India's Shared Interests in Asia
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Indian Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna held lengthy meetings July 19 in New Delhi to broaden economic and security ties between the United States and India.
Clinton led a delegation of senior U.S. officials to New Delhi for the second meeting of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, which was launched by Clinton and Krishna in July 2009 to guide a broad range of collaborative activities and consultations. At the heart of the talks are a set of shared interests intended to promote stability and prosperity across Asia, the State Department said in a fact sheet.
"The United States and India intend to deepen cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, including in multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM+)," the State Department said.
Clinton will attend ministerial meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Informal Foreign Ministers' Consultations and the Lower Mekong Initiative in Bali, Indonesia, July 21-23. The secretary is on a 12-day, five-nation diplomatic mission taking her across three continents.
Meetings with ASEAN nations and the East Asia Summit are seen by the United States and India as essential to broadening cooperation and engagement through East Asia, the State Department said.
Clinton and Krishna also reaffirmed support for upcoming trilateral talks with Japan. Included in the "shared interests" discussed at the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue are efforts to advance economic development and prosperity for Afghanistan.
India has pledged $2 billion in development assistance for Afghanistan, including $500 million announced during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's May visit to Kabul.
India and the United States also agreed to work together and with Afghanistan's neighbors and allies to help craft a vision for its future in preparation for the Istanbul and Bonn conferences later this year, the State Department said.
Following is the text of the fact sheet:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
July 19, 2011
FACT SHEET
Advancing our Shared Interests in Asia
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna acknowledged the United States and India's shared interests in promoting stability and prosperity across Asia. As the world's two largest democracies, both India and the United States have a shared interest in upholding the rules that frame relations between states and in ensuring that the model for 21st century Asia is one of open economies, open governments, and open societies.
Engaging East: The United States and India intend to deepen cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, including in multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+). They also reaffirmed their support for a balanced and inclusive regional architecture and look forward to holding the recently announced trilateral dialogue between Japan, India, and the United States, which they view as a valuable forum to discuss issues of mutual interest. From managing counter-piracy and natural disasters to fostering trade and commerce, the strategic congruity enjoyed by the United States and India in the Asia Pacific region is marked feature of the overall partnership and one which will increasingly define it in the 21st century.
Advancing Prosperity in Afghanistan: The United States and India have a shared interest in a stable, prosperous, and peaceful Afghanistan. The United States welcomes India's efforts to help Afghans build a future of security and prosperity for their country. India has pledged $2 billion in development efforts in Afghanistan, including $500 million announced during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent May 2011 visit to Kabul. The United States and India have made progress toward implementing the joint projects in women's development and agriculture announced during President Obama's visit. The United States appreciates Prime Minister Singh's support for Afghan-led reconciliation and a political settlement to the conflict that is backed by all of Afghanistan's regional partners. President Obama and Prime Minister Singh had pledged in November 2010 to intensify consultation, cooperation and coordination on Afghanistan.
Shared Vision for Regional Integration: The United States and India agreed to work together and with Afghanistan's neighbors and near-neighbors to develop a shared vision for the future of Afghanistan in its region in the run up to the Istanbul and Bonn Conferences later this year. The United States and India acknowledge the crucial role of economic integration in furthering the region's long-term peace, stability, and prosperity. Increased economic openness between South and Central Asia will generate new economic opportunities for the people of the region by facilitating the free flow of goods, ideas, and people. Both countries plan to work together with regional partners to advance this vision of an integrated South and Central Asia and lay the foundations for a modern day "Silk Road."
Sharing Global Perspectives: Supporting Prime Minister Singh's and President Obama's pledge to expand cooperation on strategic issues facing both countries, the United States and India held inaugural consultations on West Asia and Central Asia, as well the third round of the Asia-Pacific dialogue earlier this year. These consultations reflect the growing and increasingly global strategic partnership between the United States and India and agreed they should broaden in both substance and scope. The United States and India have also made satisfactory progress in implementing trilateral food security initiatives in Africa.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State)
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