Obama to visit India this year

vIndianz.com (20 Feb, 2010) — Washington: President Barack Obama is “most likely” to visit India, which he considers an “indispensable” partner of the US, later this year, a top official of the Administration has said.

India is on top of the agenda of the Obama Administration, which is reflected in the very fact that the President invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his presidency’s first State Visit in November last year, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said.

“President Obama has further underscored the importance of India to the United States by promising to make a reciprocal visit to India, most likely later this year,” Mr. Blake said addressing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs yesterday.

However, he did not announce any dates for the visit.

Mr. Blake reminded the audience that the US President considers India an indispensable partner of the US. “Few relationships around the world matter more to our collective future, or hold greater promise for constructive action on the challenges that matter most to all of us, than the partnership between the United States and India.”

“The United States and India share common ideals and complementary strengths reflected in our very close people-to-people contacts, our shared embrace of democratic principles and our willingness to work together on issues that matter not only to us, but to the global community,” Blake said.

India has become a valuable, in fact, a top five contributor to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, he said. India has pledged over $ 1.2 billion in assistance, Mr. Blake noted.

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