By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : The United States said on Friday that it will inaugurate a strategic dialogue with India next month to discuss a range of bilateral and counter terrorism issues.
“India and the United States share defining interests and common values. The US-India relationship has never been more promising”, said Assistant Secretary of State for public diplomacy Philip Crowley in a press briefing.
The inaugural US-India Strategic Dialogue will take place in Washington on June 1-4 where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Indian counterpart Minister of external affairs Sri Krishna will co-chair high-level interagency discussions at the State Department.
“Senior delegations from across both governments will come together to discuss a range of issues critical to our shared future, including agriculture, energy, education, trade, and counterterrorism. The delegations will also hold in-depth discussions on global and regional issues”, noted Crowley.
“Separate bilateral meetings, including between Cabinet members and Indian Ministers, will take place on the margins of the Dialogue”, he added.
Crowley also announced that Undersecretary of State Bill Burns will travel tomorrow to Afghanistan and India where “he will build on the progress achieved through the successful visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his cabinet to Washington”.
“In India he will meet with a range of senior Indian officials and make preparations for the upcoming strategic dialogue” he added.
US coordinator for international communications and information policy Ambassador Philip Verveer will also travel to India from May 23rd until June 4 leading an interagency delegation from the Departments of State, the Federal Communications Commission, Department of Homeland Security and National Telecommunications and Information Administration to the fifth World Telecommunication Development Conference in Hyderabad, India.
The conference is held under the auspices of the International Telecommunications Union.