Indo-US ‘strategic convergence’ at highest point: Obama admn

Washington, Jan 15: The Obama Administration has asserted that the Indo-US “strategic convergence” is at its highest point, as it hoped that the incoming Trump government would continue to prioritise the bilateral partnership of “paramount importance” to address global challenges.
“I want to say, particularly (as) I sit in this position in the Department of State, the strategic convergence between the United States and India is at the highest point that it has ever been,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told PTI in an interview. “We see that by large we share a world view and we are now increasingly therefore talking to each other about challenges that we see as well as opportunities,” she said.
As a political appointee, Biswal’s term at the State Department ends on January 20 along with that of Barack Obama as US President when Donald Trump would succeed him as the 45th President of the US. Biswal said she believes that these fundamentals would continue to define the Indo-US relationship.
“The next administration coming in, comes in with an understanding and appreciation for the important role that India has played and the increasingly consequential role that India will play on the global scene. And that a US India partnership therefore is of paramount importance to those countries in advancing those shared goals and interests,” she asserted.
“We have certainly seen that in how President Obama has approached this relationship. It’s a relationship that Barack Obama came in on day one focused on and in seeking out to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be his first guest at the White House for a state visit, in calling Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi immediately after the election results were announced and issuing him immediately an invitation to the White House and a desire to partner,” Biswal said. This is because, for Obama, he has seen the important role that India has played and will play moving into the future, she noted.
“What we have tried to do that through strategic ones is to make sure that when we are pursuing policies and actions that we believe would either impact India or where India can play a role in trying to advance, we call, we talk, we engage and we share and bring India into that conversation. So this is not one of those easily visible and explainable outcomes,” she said.
“We can talk about the agreements that have been signed, we can talk about the visits, we can talk about the increased economic investments in each other countries, all of those are very very consequential and much more easily visible and definable,” Biswal said.
“But the quality that is most important which is less visible to the outside eye is the fundamental shift in how we see each other on our strategic relationship and the fact that a Secretary of State will pick up the phone immediately on important issues, oh, I have got to check in with my Indian counterpart on this issue and make sure that it is ok with them. That’s what I have hoped would transpire and that’s where we are today,” she added.
“The role Indian Americans have played, is both during times when India was little understood and not as prominent globally and now during times when India is much more a leader and a driver across the world. Indian-Americans have sought to bring greater understanding of that relationship and support for that relationship,” she said in response to a question.