By IANS,
New Delhi : India and the US have decided to work as equals in “a strategic relationship that will positively and decisively influence world peace”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared Monday.
In his opening comment at a joint press conference with US President Barack Obama here, Manmohan Singh said the two countries had agreed to broaden the strategic dialogue to cover many areas.
The US and India would also initiate joint projects in Afghanistan and Africa, he said.
Recalling that Obama had described the deepening India-US relations as “one of the defining and indispensable partnerships of the 21st century”, he said the two countries would seek to build “a strategic relationship that will positively and decisively influence world peace, stability and progress”.
Manmohan Singh said he welcomed the US decision to lift controls on export of high-tech items and technology to India and support New Delhi’s membership to multilateral bodies like the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
“This is a manifestation of the growing trust and confidence in each other,” Manmohan Singh said, adding that the US and India would expand cooperation in space, nuclear and defence sectors.