By Manish Chand, IANS,
Washington : President Barack Obama Tuesday lauded India as a global player and asserted that it has a role to play in shaping a peaceful and stable Asia, days after the US stressed China’s important role in South Asia.
“India is a rising and responsible power. In Asia, Indian leadership is expanding prosperity and security across the region. US welcomes and encourages India’s leadership role in helping to shape the rise of a peaceful and stable Asia,” President Obama said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House.
He said that India had a “pivotal role” beyond Asia in combating global challenges.
India had been concerned about the recent US-China joint statement that envisaged a role for Beijing in South Asia’s developments and in India-Pakistan affairs.
The joint statement was issued after the talks between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing last week.
Earlier, Obama flattered India when he said that their bilateral relation will be the “defining partnership” in the 21st century. He noted that India will again resume it’s prominent position in the global architecture.