Ministers SM Krishna and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lead the first cabinet-level Indo-US strategic dialogue, according to top U.S. officials will set the pace for long-term strategic cooperation between the two countries.
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to make a rare visit by the Foreign Ministry to participate personally in dialogue Desk, which will also include members of the increasingly influential Indian-American community.
Obama plans to pay his first presidential visit to India later this year. In November, he invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in honor of Obama's first White House state dinner.
The top White House economic advisor Lawrence Summers, said that there was a discrepancy such as India and the United States had close relations.
"There are certain expectations of the Government of the United States that it would be very different in the 21st century," Summers said the US-India Business Council on Wednesday.
William Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Tuesday that the United States sought "the strongest possible partnership" with India and do not connect the relationship with Pakistan or China.
Burns Wednesday opened a dialogue with the closed door meetings with his Indian counterpart, Foreign Minister Nirupama Rao.
The relationship between India and the United States improved under former President George W. Bush, who spearheaded a landmark agreement allowing New Delhi access to civilian nuclear technology.
India had become a pariah after declaring itself a nuclear power in 1998 with the tests, which was reciprocated by Pakistan. Both countries refused to sign the Non Proliferation Treaty.
While some lawmakers from his Democratic Party initially opposed nuclear cooperation agreement, Obama administration has forged ahead with the implementation arrangements in March for the reprocessing of nuclear material.
But the United States will remain India to accept legislation that would limit compensation payments from the nuclear suppliers in case of a nuclear accident.
Krishna, also take the US-India Business Council, promised to go ahead despite controversy over the bill in parliament.
"We are well within the agreed timeframes. Of course, the government undertook to establish a nuclear liability," said Krishna.
Critics of the bill point to what they see as light punishment meted out after the 1984 industrial disaster in Bhopal, where up to 10,000 Indians died in a gas leak from Union Carbide factory.
But advocates say that such liability caps is common practice in the world with nuclear plant operators - not their vendors - with the largest burden for any accidents.
Krishna also called for greater two-way trade and said: "Economic conditions are the basis for the social, cultural and political relations are built."
The Indo-US strategic dialogue held in Washington this week is a milestone in relations between the two largest democracies in the world, "said U.S. Ambassador to India Tim Roemer.
"This week is yet another milestone in US-India strategic relationship, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years," Roemer said in his speech to the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC).
"The future is bright and the sky is the limit for the US-Indian strategic relations. The U.S. Mission in India is ready to work closely with everyone to take advantage of the unlimited opportunities that arise every day in India," said the ambassador.
Roemer strongly refuted reports that India has not been a priority for the Obama Administration.
In fact, he argued that there has been an incredible amount of positive stories in the last year when the United States-India bilateral relations is now one of the good news of the day.
"In fact, the good news of this decade. Perhaps it was President Obama's mind when he described it as" indispensable partners in the 21st century, "he stated.
Over the past 12 months, he said the two countries have announced a Nuclear Parks for U.S. companies to build nuclear reactors in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and they have agreed end-use monitoring language, paving the way for increased defense sales as they did for maritime patrol and transport aircraft.
"We have had several contracts trading involves potential deals worth millions of dollars, including a possible agreement with a Maryland company to sell its automated weather observation system for small airports and airports in India.
We have seen a reduction in duty on medical equipment, machinery and instruments used for solar energy, and construction machinery used for infrastructure projects, "he said.
"I was able to hear the unmistakable roar of a Harley Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle, wearing a black leather jacket by Harley opened its headquarters in Gurgaon," said Roemer.
"We also have great expectations for the future. For the first time an Indian government is considering opening the door for FDI in multi-brand retail trade," he said.
"With the help of USIBC, we hope to see American companies go through the door that opens opportunities to Walmart and many others.
We negotiate for the sale of 10 C-17 aircraft to India with a potential package of five billion dollars.
Expected changes in export control regime would increase sales in high technology, "said Roemer.
"Our partnership with Advance Clean Energy will accelerate large-scale clean energy in India, promote low carbon economic growth in India and green jobs in the United States.
We have high expectations not only for trade and investment, but also for education, security, agriculture, health, science and technology, to name a few, "said the American ambassador.
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