US backs India on its demand that Pakistan should act against terrorists

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi Aug 30, 2016 : The U.S. on Tuesday “fully” backed India on its demand that Pakistan should act against terrorists operating from sanctuaries on its soil with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asserting that his country “stands in strong partnership with India” against all terrorism.

 

Terrorism, more specifically that emanating from Pakistan, figured prominently in marathon talks between Mr. Kerry and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who briefed him extensively on the “continuing problem of cross-border terrorism that India and the larger region face from Pakistan“.

At a joint press conference with Mr. Kerry after the 2nd India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD), Ms. Swaraj said, “We reaffirmed the urgent necessity for Pakistan to dismantle safe havens for terrorists and criminal networks including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and D-Company.

“Secretary Kerry and I also agreed on the need for Pakistan to do more to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice quickly.”

Mr. Kerry said he had spoken to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif so that Pakistan deprives any terrorist group of sanctuary

During the dialogue, co-chaired by Ms. Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Mr. Kerry and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in New Delhi, the two sides also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of energy and trade and business.

The co-chairs were accompanied by high-level inter-agency delegations.

In her initial remarks, Ms. Swaraj stressed on the need to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism, saying “There is a scope to do a lot more.”

Apart from bilateral issues, substantive discussions were held on important regional and global developments including the security situation.

She also stressed on need to take care of “aspirations and interests” of companies while enhancing bilateral commercial ties.

On his part, Mr. Kerry noted that the two countries have deepened their cooperation in defence, energy and cyber security.

The U.S. was looking forward to finalise a cyber framework that will help the two countries protect from new global cyber threats, he said.

He said the U.S. would want its civil nuclear cooperation with India to take shape in setting up of reactors that deliver reliable electricity to Indian households.

On the commercial front, ease of doing business and visa regimes were among other aspects of trade ties taken up.

The two-way trade between the countries stood at about $109 billion in 2015.

Ms. Swaraj said in view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation, India looks forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year.

Asserting that India’s enhanced global role was in mutual interest, she said, “It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the US to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council.”

She also pitched for expansion of defence cooperation to the next stage of co-production and co-development.

“For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India’s designation as a ‘Major Defence Partner’ of the US during Prime Minister’s visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region,” Ms. Swaraj added.

She also said the two sides have been able to conclude a Framework for the India-U.S. Cyber Relationship, the first of its kind both for India and the U.S., with any other country.

She also pitched for a “just and non-discriminatory solution” to the issue of totalisation and recent fee hike for H1B and L1 visa that has “affected our people-to-people exchanges, which was a vital source of strength for our relationship“.

Asserting that India attaches high importance to the Dialogue, Ms. Swaraj said it develops greater synergy and coherence in the engagements across the spectrum.

Reiterating India’s commitment for implementation of the Paris Agreement, she said the government was taking steps domestically to compress the timeline for our ratification of the Agreement.

“We hope that the next U.S. Administration will continue to support the Paris Agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done, and that the goal of mobilising $100 billion per year from developed countries, will be met with firm support from the U.S. government,” she said.

Ms. Swaraj also talked about the need to step up collaboration in the area of clean energy that will make it viable for us to make quantum transition to renewable energy away from fossil fuel, and achieve our ambitious climate goals.

Text of Ms. Swaraj sppech at the opening plenary:

I am delighted to welcome you all to New Delhi for the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between India and the United States of America. I hope you have had a pleasant stay so far.

We attach high importance to this mechanism which enables us to review the entire gamut of our relationship and develop greater synergy and coherence in our engagements across the spectrum.

We began our engagement this afternoon with separate meetings between the Foreign and Commerce Ministers of the two sides. I had good discussion with Secretary Kerry covering key bilateral and regional issues. We have now convened for the Plenary Session which will be followed by parallel meetings of the Strategic and Commercial Tracks.

Our meeting takes place in the backdrop of significantly increased intensity of bilateral engagement. Since our last meeting, our Prime Minister has visited the US three times and met with President Obama several times. The June Summit has charted an ambitious agenda for bilateral relations, whose implementation is our joint task.

There has been frequent political-level interaction throughout the year. Even as we speak, our Minister of Defence is on his second visit to the United States in less than a year, making this year the second in a row that both Defence Ministers have exchanged visits in a calendar year. This is unprecedented.

The Economic and Financial Partnership Initiative at the level of Finance Ministers met earlier this year. Our Home Minister is planning to visit US shortly for the Homeland Security Dialogue.

Some of the new dialogue mechanisms that we announced at our last meeting have already met, including the High-level Consultations, Policy Planning Dialogue and the Track 1.5 Cyber Dialogue. Others, like the bilateral Oceans Dialogue, are also in the planning.

In accordance with the roadmap for the Joint Strategic Vision, we have launched a Maritime Security Dialogue. Our Trilateral with Japan has moved from dialogue into action in exciting areas of regional connectivity and HA/DR.

In view of the rapidly evolving regional and global situation, we look forward to resuming the meeting of the Trilateral with Afghanistan; consultations on Africa and on multilateral issues within this year. Recently, we successfully launched the first UN Peacekeeping Course for African partners in New Delhi. This is an apt symbol of our partnership for peace, security and development in the wider world.

Our two countries share the same democratic ethos of freedom, equality, pluralism and rule of law. India’s enhanced global role is in our mutual interest. It is in this context, we look forward to continue working closely with the US to secure our membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

We want to take our expanding defence cooperation to the next stage of co-production and co-development. For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India’s designation as a ’Major Defence Partner’ of the US during Prime Minister’s visit in June. This would spur defence industry collaboration between India and the US and help India play the desired role as a net provider of security in the region.

We have taken some steps to strengthen our cooperation in the area of Counter-Terrorism as envisaged in the Joint Declaration issued during the last meeting of this mechanism. There is scope to do a lot more. This would be an important element of our deliberations today

It is heartening to note that we have been able to conclude a Framework for the India-US Cyber Relationship, the first of its kind both for India and the US, with any other country.

Our leaders had worked closely together to ensure successful conclusion of the Paris Agreement. India’s commitment for implementation of the Paris Agreement is firm and we are taking steps domestically to compress the timeline for our ratification of the Agreement. We hope that the next U.S. Administration will continue to support the Paris Agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done, and that the goal of mobilizing US$100 billion per year from developed countries, will be met with firm support from the U.S. government.

Our partnership in clean energy has received fresh impetus through launch of several initiatives that are aimed at facilitating clean energy investments from US into India. We need to significantly strengthen our collaboration in this area on a scale that will make it viable for us to make quantum transition to renewable energy away from fossil fuel, and achieve our ambitious climate goals.

I would also urge the United States to join the International Solar Alliance as an active member, which will be critical to its success.

Our citizens are studying, living and earning their livelihood in each other’s countries, like never before. More than a million of our citizens are travelling in both directions every year, many of whom, we hope, will benefit from early implementation of the U.S. Global Entry Program for Indian nationals.

The issue of totalization and recent fee hike for H1B and L1 visa has affected our people-to-people exchanges, which is a vital source of strength for our relationship. I am sure these issues will be deliberated in depth in the commercial track of our discussion. But I would urge you to find a just and non-discriminatory solution to these issues.

Science and technology cooperation has created exciting opportunities. The Joint Commission Meeting next month will allow our Ministers to discuss them in more detail. India will take part in the Arctic Science Ministerial being hosted by the White House as well as in Our Ocean Conference that you are hosting next month.

Today, Indian and American scientists are engaged in jointly funded research, from atoms to space, combining India’s talent with American infrastructure, and transforming lives of millions around the world. I am happy that both sides have decided to explore scaling up of funds for the bilateral Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF).

We would request your support in early conclusion of Engineers and Scientists Exchange Programme (ESEP) Agreement.

Indian and American health professionals have come together to eradicate pandemics and conduct research. We would like to develop our cooperation in the area of traditional medicine.

American satellites have been successfully launched on Indian launch vehicles this summer, at a great reduction of cost. We would request for positive consideration to our request for policy measure to allow launch of commercial U.S. satellites on board Indian vessels.

As our colleagues from the two Commerce Ministries and the business community will no doubt reflect, trade and investment has continued to grow, and more opportunities are opening after the additional reforms that the Government of India took recently.

As India unveils transformative economic programmes at home --- be it Smart cities, Make in India, Digital India or renewable energy --- the potential for doing business has never looked more appealing. We see the US as an indispensible partner in achieving these goals.

And this is why we need strategic direction and enhanced oversight on our economic and commercial engagement: to make sure aspirations and interests of our businesses get high-level attention; to guarantee that our commercial relations do not remain transactional; and to foster better appreciation for the strategic priorities of our economic policies.

It is with that vision that I hope that you will treat the issue of India’s membership of the APEC Forum positively. This has as much strategic significance as it has commercial potential.

Our leaders will see each other again in a few days from now, in China and in Laos. My colleagues and I look forward to productive discussion this afternoon to review the wide canvass of our relations and present our assessment to our leaders.