Ajay Kaul & Lalit K Jha/PTI / Washington Nov 25, 2009, 11:49 IST
India and the US have signed an MoU on counter-terrorism and five other agreements as they agreed to chart their ties as "one of the defining relations" in the 21st century in which New Delhi will have a leadership role in the region and the world.
Besides the Memorandum of Understanding on 'Advancing Global Security and Countering Terrorism', the two countries signed pacts covering education and development, health cooperation, economic trade and agriculture, and green partnerships.
The pacts were signed after Prime Minister and US President Barack Obama held talks here at the White House. Singh is the first foreign leader to be hosted as the State Guest under the 10-month-old Obama Administration.
The two sides committed to redouble their collective efforts to deal effectively with terrorism, while protecting their countries' common ideals and shared values.
They also committed themselves to strengthening global consensus and legal regimes against terrorism.
Under the MoU, they supported an early start of negotiations on a multilateral, non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
They affirmed their commitment to work together to prevent the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction- and missile-related technology and to realise their shared vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Earlier, at a joint press conference, Obama said US-India relationship will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
"India today is a rising and responsible global power. So I believe that the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama said.
With an aim of enhancing US-India cooperation on education and development, the two sides launched the Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative which will provide $10 million in combined funding to increase university linkages and support junior faculty development between US and Indian universities.
The two sides also launched "Green Partnership" to strengthen US-India cooperation on clean energy, climate change, and food security, reflecting their commitment to taking vigorous action to fight climate change.
They also announced launch of an Indo-US Clean Energy Research and Deployment Initiative, which is supported by US and Indian government funding and private sector assistance.
This new initiative will include a Joint Research Center operating in both the United States and India to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies. The Initiative will facilitate joint research, scientific exchanges, and sharing of proven innovation and deployment policies.
India and the US also launched a new Agriculture Dialogue and agreed on a MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security that will set a pathway to robust cooperation between the governments.
Under this, the two sides will co-operate in crop forecasting, management and market information; regional and global food security through the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative; science, technology, and education; nutrition; and expanding private sector investment in agriculture.
The United States and India expect co-operation under the agreement to expand access to knowledge to improve productivity, safety, and nutritional quality of food crops; to strengthen market institutions and foster growth of agribusiness investment and improve food security and access to adequate quantities and quality of food, particularly for women and young children.
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