14 May :With the results of the LS elections just a few days away, a top US official has said the Obama Administration is looking forward to work with the new govt in India, which it considers a global partner.Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher said the new US Administration is committed to take forward the relationship that has grown at an extremely fast pace in the last one decade both under the Clinton Administration followed by the Bush era.
"We look forward to working with whatever Indian people choose," Boucher told a group of South and Central Asian journalists at Washington in his farewell meeting.
"We had an extremely fast pace of growth of US-India relations in last 10-12 years. It happened in two different (US) administrations with two different (Indian political) parties in two different countries. We had Republicans and Democrats in the US and the BJP and Congress-led governments in India that have carried this momentum forward. I expect that to continue," Boucher said.
The Administration in the US wants to continue to work with India as a global partner and to work with India in ways it is meaningful to the Indian people, he said, adding: "So we look forward to having a new government in India with whom we can work with. Whoever the Indian people pick, it’s going to be fine with us."
About the issues that the Obama Administration would like to take up with the new Indian Government, Boucher said there are some issues which comes naturally.
"If you look at the Obama Administrations agenda and then you look at the fact that we are also India’s global partner – so how we work with India on global financial issues, the (US) President and the (Indian) Prime Minister met in London G-20 summit; how do we meet with India on climate change; how do we work with India on international security and assistance issues, how do we work with India on Afghanistan (which is a) priority for us and also priority for India," he said.
Besides, these, there are issues wherein the American and Indian people are heavily involved with each other where both the respective Government needs to speak out, he said, adding that these include education, families and visas.
"And then there is… how do we set our agenda, how can we expand (our relationship)," Boucher said.
"One is the global issues where the US and India deserve to be global partners in lot of things. Second is the grass root issues wherein both the Indian and US Governments need to make sure that we are doing things which are meaningful to the broad mass of the Indian people," he said.
Boucher said the Obama Administration has already been actively working with India on current issues and starting and look towards the future.
"I think that is a good sign," he argued.